The Detroit Tigers have identified Ron Gardenhire as the manager they wish to hire, pending the completion of a contract, Major League sources told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

The 59-year-old Gardenhire, who spent the 2017 season as the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, would bring ample experience into the dugout of a young Tigers team embarking on what could be a lengthy rebuild.

Gardenhire, who managed for 13 years with the Minnesota Twins with a 1068-1049 record and .509 winning percentage during that span, was one of ten candidates to interview with Tigers’ brass for the opening. The team initially began with a list of 50 candidates.

Other candidates who recently interviewed with the Tigers include Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora, Colorado Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond, Miami Marlins third base coach Fredi Gonzalez, Chicago White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing and San Francisco Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens. The Tigers also planned to interview Chicago Cubs’ bench coach Dave Martinez.

Internally, the Tigers interviewed third base coach Dave Clark and first base coach Omar Vizquel. As of Tuesday, the team had not yet interviewed Lloyd McClendon, though he was believed to have a contingent of support among players within the Tigers clubhouse.

What separated Gardenhire from the rest of the pack?

Multiple sources told The Athletic’s Katie Strang that Tigers general manager Al Avila entered the process leaning heavily toward a candidate with previous MLB managerial experience. Gardenhire was seen as a seasoned, battle-tested option in this regard.

Gardenhire’s predecessor, Brad Ausmus, was given the reins to a star-studded team of veterans after wowing the Tigers’ front office, including then-general manager Dave Dombrowski, with a superlative interview back in 2013. The team won an American League Central title in 2014 and has failed to make a postseason appearance since, prompting Avila to initiate an abrupt overhaul of its roster.

Last month, with less than two weeks remaining in the season, Ausmus was informed he would not return for 2018.

Gardenhire, who interviewed with the Tigers on Tuesday, was also considered a finalist for the Red Sox job.

(photo credit: Brace Hemmelgarn/ Getty Images)