Rangers at Yankees, 5:07 p.m.

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I’m not sure I can remember such an air of mystery surrounding the makeup of a Dodger coaching staff, but maybe it’s just that I’m following it more closely this time around. Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com tries to sort out a work in progress:

… Based on information compiled from various sources, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti wants to announce the entire staff at one time once it’s finalized, it appears that Jeff Pentland is the front-runner to become the hitting coach, that pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and Ken Howell will return and that Larry Bowa, the team’s third-base coach for the past three seasons under Joe Torre, won’t be back.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ reason for giving the Milwaukee Brewers permission to interview Tim Wallach for their managerial vacancy — Wallach met with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin in Phoenix last week — but denying the Toronto Blue Jays permission to interview Wallach for theirs has become clear.

The contract Wallach signed earlier this month to become a member of the Dodgers’ major league coaching staff after managing their Triple-A Albuquerque affiliate the past two seasons has a list of clubs with which he can talk to and a list of clubs with which he can’t. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, Wallach was allowed to make those lists himself while negotiating the deal, which the source said was unusually beneficial to Wallach in terms of both length and financial compensation.

Because there are so many major league managerial openings this winter — there were eight when the offseason began and there still are six — the Dodgers didn’t want Wallach to interview for all of them, presumably because that would have held up their effort to fill their coaching staff. So Wallach was asked to prioritize those eight clubs based on his level of interest before any of those teams even requested permission to talk to him. …

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  • Ken Gurnick of MLB.com talked to Dodgers assistant general manager, player development DeJon Watson about the Dodgers’ Arizona Fall League contingent.
  • Kirk Gibson will announce at a press conference Tuesday that he is auctioning (among other things) the bat, batting helmet, and uniform he wore when he hit 1988 World Series home run via SCP Auctions.