The Oakland Athletics are in need of a new pitching coach now that Curt Young has left to pursue another opportunity within Major League Baseball. According to MLB.com’s Jane Lee, the team has four internal candidates that will be strongly considered before the team looks elsewhere.

Lee says the top candidate is 49-year-old bullpen coach Ron Romanick. When GM Billy Beane was asked about his candidacy he didn’t hesitate at all.

“Absolutely,”Beane said. “Not only will he be considered, but he should be. He’s the guy who has been with us for a number of years and has been influential in the development of these young pitchers as much as anybody. He’s a very active bullpen coach and has a lot of history with these guys in the Minor Leagues. There’s no question Ronnie will be a candidate.”

Other candidates within the organization include pitching coordinator Gil Patterson, Triple-A pitching coach Rick Rodriguez and Double-A pitching coach Scott Emerson.

As for Young, who recently turned down a two-year deal to stay with the A’s, he could be the Boston Red Sox’s next pitching coach, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.