DePodesta Has Moved to Top of the GM List

Paul DePodesta has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next Dodger general manager, but new owner Frank McCourt, through a team spokesman, denied an ESPN.com report claiming that DePodesta was expected to be hired this weekend.

“The report was speculative and premature,” said Derrick Hall, the Dodgers’ senior vice president of communications. “The process is ongoing, and no decision has been made. In fact, Frank is in the process of interviewing more candidates.”

Neither DePodesta, who is the Oakland Athletics’ assistant general manager, nor Oakland General Manager Billy Beane would comment on the situation, and McCourt, who returned to Southern California on Wednesday afternoon after a four-day trip to Boston, was said to be “disturbed” by the report.

But officials in the commissioner’s office confirmed that McCourt was extremely impressed by DePodesta’s two interviews Friday in Los Angeles, and they felt the 31-year-old A’s assistant, at this point, was the front-runner for the job.

McCourt is known to have interviewed only two candidates -- DePodesta and Philadelphia Phillies’ assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., whom McCourt met in Boston on Tuesday.

Several industry sources have confirmed that Pat Gillick, formerly general manager for Seattle, Baltimore and Toronto, is interested in the job, and the Dodgers are believed to be very interested in Gillick, but as of Wednesday afternoon, Gillick said he had not been contacted.

McCourt, who needed several substantial loans to complete his $430-million purchase of the Dodgers, might also be more attracted to a candidate such as DePodesta because he would come with a considerably lower price tag than a proven veteran such as Gillick, who has 40 years of experience in the game and would probably command a salary in excess of $1.5 million a year. Dan Evans, the current Dodger general manager, makes about $500,000 a year.

Evans, who is in the final year of a three-year contract, was told by McCourt that he would be a “legitimate candidate” to retain his job, but his chances appear remote. Evans met with McCourt informally twice last week.

Evans’ status will probably be resolved as soon as the sale of the Dodgers officially closes, a process that is expected to be completed today or Friday and would transfer ownership and control of the team from News Corp. to McCourt.

DePodesta, a top assistant to Beane since joining the A’s in November 1998, has been working without a contract since the end of the 2003 season, but he was expecting to re-sign with the A’s by April. If the Dodgers hired DePodesta, they would not be required to compensate the A’s with players or draft picks.

Oakland front-office executives have long touted DePodesta as one of the brightest young minds in the game, and Beane, who has built the A’s into an American League West power despite limited resources, said DePodesta had been “as responsible for our success as I’ve been.”

DePodesta, who graduated cum laude from Harvard University, was offered the Toronto GM job two years ago but turned it down because he didn’t feel it was the right fit for his family.

“You always like to see the people you work with branch out and succeed,” Beane said at an A’s fanfest event last weekend. “If he goes down there, trust me, you’ll see a lot of Oakland-Los Angeles trades.”

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The Dodgers avoided arbitration with reliever Guillermo Mota, agreeing to terms with the 30-year-old right-hander on a one-year, $1.475-million contract.

Mota went 6-3 with a 1.97 earned-run average in 76 games last season, striking out 99 and walking 26 in 105 innings, and he held opposing batters to a .206 average. USA Today Sports Weekly rated Mota as the top relief pitcher among non-closers in the major leagues.

The hard-throwing Mota’s role ranged from middle relief to set-up work in 2003, but this season he’s expected to step into the key eighth-inning role vacated by Paul Quantrill.

The Dodgers have signed four of their five arbitration-eligible players. The only case pending is that of closer Eric Gagne, whose hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday in Arizona. Gagne, seeking $8 million, and the Dodgers, offering $5 million, remain far apart.

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Times staff writer Ross Newhan contributed to this report.