According to friends of Bobby Valentine (via Larry Stone of the Seattle Times), the former big league manager and now ESPN analyst would be interested in the vacant Seattle Mariners’ managerial job. Valentine is not commenting on the situation.

On Tuesday, Stone speculated that Valentine’s name could pop up as a top candidate. Valentine managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, so he could be a cultural fit for the Japanese-owned (Nintendo of America) Mariners.

Valentine will likely tread water very carefully so he doesn’t repeat the incident that he had with the Florida Marlins back in June. At the time he said, “If this is a major-league process, I hope I’m never in the process again. It’s very disturbing, confusing and it was insulting at times, but it’s over.” This was in regards to the poor hiring process and communication he had with the Marlins – a job that ultimately did not go in Valentine’s way despite rumors that he was all but named for the job.

The Mariners are currently being managed by interim skipper Daren Brown. “At the end of the year, we will open this job up and seek the best candidate possible,” GM Jack Zduriencik said. “In baseball and any sport or walk of life, there’s always an evaluation process going on. Daren will be evaluated as we move forward.”