The Rangers have yet to finalize their list of interviews for their vacant managerial spot, but have done significant due diligence on at least five external candidates, two sources confirmed Wednesday.

The Rangers are also giving strong consideration to internal candidates Don Wakamatsu, who finished the season as the interim manager, and assistant general manager Jayce Tingler, who finished the season as the bench coach, the sources confirmed.

From outside the organization, the Rangers have discussed two coaches for teams still in the playoffs, Los Angeles Dodgers' third base coach Chris Woodward and Houston bench coach Joe Espada. Three others all played for the Rangers and were teammates in 2005: Cleveland first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa and El Paso (Triple A) manager Rod Barajas (San Diego organization).

Of the external candidates, four are in their early 40s with Alomar, at 53, being the oldest. Four also had legitimate MLB playing careers with Espada, who only reached Triple-A, the exception. Espada, Alomar, Barajas and Tingler, who spent three seasons managing the Rangers complex and prospect teams in the Dominican Republic, are all fluent in Spanish, which could be a key element in the desire for improved communication.

General manager Jon Daniels has not commented on the managerial hiring process since an end-of-the-season news conference early last week.

"We're looking for someone who will help us create an environment where people thrive in what they do," Daniels said at the news conference. "This job is managing people, personalities, egos, developing relationships to where you can get through to them on a variety of different levels.

"Some of the questions that [media] have raised a little bit are, 'Are you looking for somebody older? Somebody younger? More analytically driven? More traditional development-driven?" he added. "I don't think there is a cut-and-dry answer to that."

Woodward, 42, played 12 years in the majors, mostly as a role-playing infielder. He spent a season as the Seattle Mariners' minor league infield coordinator, another as the Mariners' infield instructor and has been the Dodgers third base coach for the last three seasons.

Espada, 43, has spent more than a decade as a coach, working his way up from being a minor league hitting instructor to stints as the third base coach with both the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. When Alex Cora moved from being Houston's bench coach to Boston's manager after last season, Espada replaced Cora with the Astros.

Barajas, 43, spent 2004-06 with the Rangers during a major league career that spanned parts of 13 seasons. He has spent the last three seasons managing San Diego's Triple-A club in El Paso.

Alomar, 53, was Barajas' primary backup with the Rangers in 2005 toward the end of a 20-year playing career. He has a decade of coaching work in the minors and majors, the majority of it with Cleveland. He spent two seasons as Cleveland's bench coach but moved to first base after 2013.

DeRosa, 43, is the only candidate who has not spent time in either a front office or coaching role. He retired as a player after 2013 and immediately joined MLB Network. He interviewed for the New York Mets' managerial job last year.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant