Report: Cubs bench coach Martinez to interview for Nationals' manager job

The Chicago Cubs eliminated the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series earlier this month, and now the latter may be looking to take a key piece away from the former.

Washington reportedly reached out to Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez for its managerial vacancy, and the 53-year-old will interview for the position, a source told Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post.

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A longtime bench coach under Joe Maddon with both the Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays, Martinez has interviewed for managerial openings in the past - even being endorsed by Rays players to take over in 2014 - though he's yet to be hired as a bench boss.

"It's baffling to me a bit why (Martinez isn't considered) more often. He's been around a lot of winning teams here, and not only that, him as a player, that's what drew me to him a bit with the Rays," Maddon told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune earlier this month. "I never had been with him as a teammate but watched him play. He was such a heady, aggressive, gritty kind of player and bilingual. All that matters.

"He's not afraid to have tough conversation a lot of times people in that position may shy away from."