Originally published Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 12:00 AM

David Forst of the Oakland A's is no longer a Mariners GM candidate

Cross David Forst off the Mariners' list of general-manager candidates. Forst, the Oakland A's assistant GM, has decided not to interview...

By Larry Stone

Seattle Times staff reporter

Cross David Forst off the Mariners' list of general-manager candidates.

Forst, the Oakland A's assistant GM, has decided not to interview with Seattle, according to A's general manager Billy Beane.

Beane said that the A's plan to provide a greater role for Forst in future years.

"David is a critical member of the A's management team, and we anticipate him taking on a prominent role in the future," Beane said in an e-mail to The Times.

Forst has been mentioned as a likely successor to Beane, who has an ownership stake in the A's and could one day shift his focus to upper management or the pro soccer team owned by A's majority owner Lew Wolff.

Forst, 31, graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1998 with a degree in sociology. He also played baseball four years for the Crimson.

The Mariners interviewed five outside candidates this week, including Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng, who is seeking to become the first female GM. She was in town Thursday, then flew straight to Philadelphia to join her team in the National League Championship Series.

Other candidates to interview include Jerry DiPoto and Peter Woodfork (Diamondbacks), Tony Bernazard (Mets) and Tony LaCava (Blue Jays). The Mariners also have two internal candidates — interim GM Lee Pelekoudas and Bob Engle, vice president of international operations.

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