With Terry Francona stepping down, the Cleveland Guardians are now on the hunt for a new manager. As the Guardians begin their search, Cleveland has turned their eyes to a popular coach from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough has interviewed for the Guardians open managerial position, via Paul Hoyes of Cleveland.com. This isn't the first time McCullough has seen his name come up in managerial searches as he interviewed with the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets last hiring cycle, h/t Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

McCullough has been the Dodgers first base coach since 2021. He has experience managing at the Rookie and Class-A level in the Toronto Blue Jays minor leagues. He held a 629-559 record as manager, a position he held from 2007-2014.

Of course, making the jump from Class-A to MLB is difficult, even for managers. But if McCullough were to land with the Guardians, it wouldn't be his first rodeo in Cleveland. The then Indians actually drafted McCullough – who was a catcher out of East Carolina – in the 22nd round of the 2002 MLB Draft.

Terry Francona was the Guardians lead man since 2013. His departure will send ripples throughout the organization. While Cleveland missed the playoffs in 2023, they'll want a manager who can lead the team back into the postseason.

With some major league seasoning from the Dodgers, Clayton McCullough could be that guy. He has seen Los Angeles achieve plenty of success during his time down the first base line. Perhaps Cleveland wants McCullough to rub some of that success off in their dugout.