By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Joe Maddon has the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, has led a team to a pennant in each league and helped the Cubs to break a 108-year World Series drought. Beyond those Hall of Fame qualifications, Maddon has been heralded for his ability to create a loose clubhouse environment and was ahead of the managerial sabermetrics curve. While there's no indication Maddon is going anywhere, it would seem that his long-time bench coach, Dave Martinez, would be a highly-sought-after managerial candidate. That hasn't been the case.
The Philadelphia Phillies, at least to this point, don't seem likely to break that trend.
According to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Phillies are among the three teams with a managerial opening that haven't contacted the Cubs about potentially interviewing the 53-year-old:
He had no interviews last year, and none of the teams with openings — the Mets, Phillies and Tigers — has contacted the Cubs for permission to talk to Martinez. But that could happen when the Cubs’ playoff run is over.
As Wittenmyer noted, the Phillies could contact the Cubs when they are eliminated from the playoffs about potentially interviewing Martinez. With that said, there have been reports connecting the Phillies to other candidates still coaching for playoff teams. Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported last week that Boston Red Sox bench coach Gary DiSarcina was among the candidates that the team was considering. Though it may not have been a report, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wrote over the weekend that the Phillies could pursue Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora. So even if the Phillies had to wait to substantively pursue Martinez, it wouldn't, in theory, stop any potential interest in him from leaking out.
Interviewing Martinez would seemingly make sense. After the Phillies announced Pete Mackanin wouldn't return as manager in 2018, I listed Martinez as one potential name to watch moving forward. In addition to having been Maddon's bench coach with the Cubs the past three seasons, he served as Maddon's bench coach with the Tampa Bay Rays for his final seven seasons with the team. He also played for nine teams over a 16-year major league career. It's unclear how much he's inherited from Maddon, but it would make sense for the Phillies, and other teams, to interview him and find out.
In addition to DiSarcina, Salisbury also reported that former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and Seattle Mariners bench coach Tim Bogar are candidates that the Phillies are likely to interview. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported over the weekend that former Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond is also of interest to the Phillies. Dusty Wathan, who managed the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2017 and was called up to the major league staff late in the season, is also expected to draw serious consideration.
