The Puget Sound Business Journal first reported the move.

McClendon replaces Eric Wedge, who left at the end of this past season amid acrimony with the club's front office.

Seattle is turning to a longtime major league manager and coach for its young squad. McClendon, 54, led the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005, compiling a 336-446 record. Most recently he was a coach on former Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland's staff.


BBWAA AWARDS


Miguel Cabrera has a chance to repeat as AL MVP after being named one of three finalists for the award in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Detroit's star third baseman is joined by Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis and Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who has been a finalist in each of his first two major league seasons.

Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina are up for top player in the National League.

Finalists for the BBWAA awards were announced Tuesday. The winners will be revealed next week live on MLB Network, beginning Monday with the two rookies of the year and concluding Thursday with the MVPs.

Miami's Jose Fernandez is one of three finalists for the NL's Cy Young Award and is also up for Rookie of the Year. In Cy Young balloting, he is up against 2011 winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright.

In the AL Cy Young competition, Detroit's Max Scherzer is pitted against two Japanese pitchers, Texas' Yu Darvish and Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma. The Cy Young winners will be announced Wednesday.

Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig round out the NL Rookie of the Year candidates. In the AL, Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer and outfielder Wil Myers are finalists with Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias.

Oakland's Bob Melvin is trying to become the first repeat winner of the AL Manager of the Year award and a three-time winner overall. Also nominated in the AL are Cleveland's Terry Francona and John Farrell of the World Series champion Red Sox, both in their first season with new ballclubs.

In the NL, Atlanta's Fredi Gonzalez, Pittsburgh's Clint Hurdle and the Dodgers' Don Mattingly will all be vying for their first awards. Managers of the year will be picked on Tuesday.


YANKS, SAWX ON McCANN'S LIST


Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann, who figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason, is interested in talking to the New York Yankees because of their history and fans.

Also, he's fascinated by the Boston Red Sox. For, ya know, pretty much the same reasons.

The Bronx is “certainly a place that is on Brian's radar," his agent, B.B. Abbott, told the New York Daily News. "How could it not be? You've got an historic franchise and a great park, knowledgeable fans and a chance to win, which is what every guy plays the game for. From Brian's standpoint, it would be an attractive place to listen to.”

As for the newly crowned World Series champs: “Certainly Boston is a city that Brian likes, and he has always respected the organization and the front office,” Abbott,  told the Boston Herald. “Obviously, the coaching staff and clubhouse unity is attractive. He has also always been fascinated with the fan base, their support of the Red Sox and the history of the organization. Boston would certainly be a place that would be a consideration for Brian.”

The Yankees are in need of a catcher who can hit. New York backstops batted just .213/.289/.298 in 2013, all figures among the worst in baseball. McCann, a seven-time All-Star, hit .256/.336/.461.

Abbott would not say whether the Bombers have contacted his client, but he said: “What team do you know out there that doesn't want left-handed power behind the plate from someone who can really handle the pitching staff?

The Red Sox did not extend a qualifying offer to free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on Monday, making it possible he will end up signing elsewhere. If he does, McCann could be an option. Abbot did not say whether Boston has contacted McCann.


ASTRODOME LIKELY COMING DOWN


Memories will likely soon be all that's left of the Houston Astrodome—the world's first multipurpose domed stadium.

Voters on Tuesday did not approve a referendum that would have authorized up to $217 million in bonds to turn the stadium that once hosted both professional baseball and football games into a giant convention and event center and exhibition space.

Houston-area leaders have said the so-called "Eighth Wonder of the World" would likely have to be torn down if the ballot measure failed to pass.

The referendum had called for creating 350,000 square feet of exhibition space by removing the interior seats and raising the floor to street level. Other changes included creating 400,000 square feet of plaza and green space on the outside of the structure as part of the project, dubbed "The New Dome Experience."

A coalition of local and national preservation groups as well as a political action committee had banded together to try to convince voters the stadium, one of Houston's signature structures, should be reborn and not razed.

The pro-Astrodome groups took to Facebook and Twitter and spoke at community meetings. In the two weeks leading up to the election, they also drove around the county a 26-foot-long truck dubbed the "Dome Mobile," where people wrote their favorite Astrodome memories and preservation messages on a large interior wall.

While there wasn't an organized effort against the referendum, some opponents had said the money to refurbish the Astrodome could be better spent on other projects.

Studies in recent years have estimated the cost of demolishing the Astrodome to be between $29 million and $78 million.


LOTS OF INTEREST IN FURCAL


Who is interested in signing Rafael Furcal? The better question: Who isn't?

According to NJ.com, the New York Mets have reached out to the 36-year-old free agent shortstop. They are among "5-6 teams showing early interest" in the three-time All-Star, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.

The Mets were disappointed in the injury-plagued 2013 season of SS Ruben Tejada and are looking to updgrade. Free agents Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew remain possible targets, but Furcal figures to come cheaper and won't command a multi-year deal.

Furcal has not played a full season since 2009 due to various injuries. In 2013, he hit .264/.325/.346 with five home runs and 12 stolen bases for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Catcher Geovany Soto and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a $3.05 million, one-year contract, a raise of $300,000.


SOTO RE-SIGNS WITH RANGERS


Texas acquired Soto in a trade from the Chicago Cubs in July 2012. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2008, when he hit .285 with 23 homers for the Cubs.

Soto hit .245 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs in 54 games this season, then became a free agent. While he was a backup to A.J. Pierzynski, Soto became the primary catcher for Rangers ace Yu Darvish the second half of the season.

He became the first of the 168 major league free agents to agree to a big league contract. Cleveland's Jason Giambi agreed to a minor league deal last week.


ANGELS HIRE DiSARCINA


Gary DiSarcina has been named the Los Angeles Angels' third base coach.

Manager Mike Scioscia hired the longtime Angels shortstop on Tuesday.

DiSarcina replaces Dino Ebel, who was promoted to bench coach in a shake-up of Scioscia's staff.

DiSarcina managed Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket last season, advancing to the International League's championship series.

He spent 2011 and 2012 working in the Angels organization.

DiSarcina spent his entire 12-year playing career with the Angels, appearing at shortstop in 1,069 of his 1,086 career games, seventh-most in club history. A 1995 All-Star, he batted .258 with 28 homers and 355 RBIs in his career.

Contributors: Justin McGuire, Tom Gatto, The Associated Press