Ok, just got off the conference call with today's interviewee Brad Mills and Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik. Some quick notes which I'll update with a transcript from it.

Let's get to Zduriencik first ...

Right now the seven finalists appear to be the only ones. Zduriencik did say that he could add to the list of candidates if he felt the need, but said he was pretty satisfied with the group he has now.

"We'll see at the end of the process how I feel," Zduriencik said. "If it is one of these guys then it will be fine with me. This is a good group of guys. If I feel there is another person or two I need to reach out to, I'd be open to that."

The fact that none of the seven have any prior major league managerial experience before is more or less a coincidence according to Zduriencik.

"I guess you could say it's probably a coincidence because it wasn't by design," Zduriencik said. "I can tell you I've had extensive conversations prior to this process with managers that have managed once, twice and some cases three times before this. As I narrowed the list down, I was open to anybody. I think it is a coincidence that these guys haven't managed. But, they come from winning organizations, they have very good track records, they have been successful where they have been, they've either been players or coaches at the major league level. I think this group of guys through my initial conversations with them were guys that I thought were very intriguing."

One person who will not be added to the list or considered for the job is Jim Riggleman, who finished up the season last year.

"I had a conversation with Jimmy and told him he wasn't a candidate for this position," Zduriencik said. "As you know he's accepted a position with the Washington Nationals. It was a very good conversation, but he was disappointed obviously. He certainly understood. I've known him for a long time and I wish him the best."

And some of the other candidates mentioned earlier, like Willie Randolph and Ned Yost, are seemingly out of the picture.

"In terms of Willie Randolph, I haven't talked to Willie," Zduriencik said. "I did sit in on his interview with Doug Melvin so I had an opportunity, in essence, to interview Willie without interviewing him for this position."

Yost?

"I have not talked to Ned as of the last two weeks or so," Zduriencik said.

So the likelihood of Zduriencik reaching out to someone like Yost or Bobby Valentine doesn't seem likely.

"At this moment in time I don't intend to reach out to anybody else. I could, but I don't intend to," he said.

Let's get to Mills, who interviewed for about two and half hours today along with having lunch with Zduriencik.

This is the first major league managerial job he's ever interviewed for. He's been contacted about being in consideration for jobs and possibly being interviewed, but never made it into the interview process. So he admitted he was a bit "nervous" coming in.

Mills had no prior relationship with Zduriencik coming into the process.

It looks as though the Oakland A's have made a trade for Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday. Several news sources are reporting the deal, but the exact terms haven't come out. Players like Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, Huston Street and others might be reportedly a part of it.

This trade really surprises me because it seems like Oakland is about two to three years from being really good. And they're going to have to mortgage much of the future to get him. Of course, Matt Holliday only has one year left on his current contract, so Beane could be picking him up to either trade him at the deadline to a team desperate for a bat, or wait till he declares free agency next year and pick up a two first-round picks since Holliday will easily be a Type A free agent.

Holliday is the type of guy you add when you are on the cusp of being really good, like trying to go from playoffs to the World Series. The A's would be trying to go from bad to almost decent. But then again, Billy Beane seems to know what he's doing on most occasions.

Obviously the A's were offensively challenged this season so adding Holliday's bat to the lineup helps, but who's going to protect him in the lineup? Eric Chavez and his ailing back? Kurt Suzuki? Bobby Crosby?

What do you think?

Anyway let's get to some links about the trade.

Susan Slusser, the A's beat writer for the SF Chronicle has the latest, saying it is Gonzalez, Smith and Street.

Here's the most updated story from ESPN.com, they've got Brett Anderson and Ryan Sweeney as possible parts of the deal.

SI's Jon Heyman broke the news earlier this morning with this story.

Here's Yahoo Sports Tim Brown's story on the trade.

Even as general manager Jack Zduriencik begins interviewing managerial candidates, he's found the time - and the men he wants - to continue retooling the Seattle Mariners front office.

On Monday, Zduriencik named Tom McNamara Director of Amateur Scouting and Carmen Fusco Director of Pro Scouting.

He also came up with a title for Tony Blengino - Special Assistant to the GM, Baseball Operations.

Blengino and McNamara worked with Zduriencik in Milwaukee. Fusco, 55, once coached with Zduriencik in the college ranks.

The search for the next Seattle Mariners manager has begun in earnest, and there are seven names in the first round of interviews – including Joey Cora.

The others on GM Jack Zduriencik’s pared down list are Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Red Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo, Padres minor league manager Randy Ready and Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu.

You can read thumbnails of the candidates right here.

The interviews will be done this week, and unless Zduriencik feels the need to expand his initial group of candidates, a decision could be made within seven-to-10 days.

The Mariners, who have had three managers – Mike Hargrove, John McLaren and Jim Riggleman – in the last 16 months, are hoping to come up with a manager and coaching staff that can establish consistency.

Coaching wasn’t the reason Seattle lost 101 games last year, but three hitting coaches and three pitching coaches over the past three seasons has produced as understandable confusion.

With his hiring of a manager, Zduriencik will begin what he calls the building of an identity for the Mariners – a challenge every bit as large as transforming the 25-man roster.

In announcing the seven candidates before interviews began, Zduriencik returned to the openess of Pat Gillick's Mariners - which became far more secretive under Bill Bavasi.