Mariners will interview Lloyd McClendon, Eric Wedge on Wednesday

The Mariners will interview two more managerial candidates Wednesday, including former Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon, the latest to be revealed as a contender for the vacancy.

The Mariners are also scheduled to meet with former Cleveland manager Eric Wedge on Wednesday as the club moves through the first round of interviews.

It was learned that Bobby Valentine, the former Mets and Rangers manager, was in Seattle on Monday to interview with general manager Jack Zduriencik and other club officials.

On Tuesday, former Astros manager Cecil Cooper and former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons went through the interview process.

All five of the known candidates have prior major-league managerial experience, a departure from the Mariners' last managerial search before the 2009 season. None of the seven finalists then had managed in the majors, including the eventual choice, Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu.

Wakamatsu inherited a 101-loss team and guided the Mariners to an 85-77 record in his first year. But he was fired this past season with the Mariners buried in last place in the American League West at 42-70.

With former Class AAA Tacoma manager Daren Brown at the helm as interim manager the remainder of the season, the Mariners once again finished with 101 losses. Brown will get consideration for the full-time job but is considered a longshot.

The current list of candidates is believed to be fluid, and it is possible more names could be added. The M's might be waiting to talk to someone associated with a team currently involved in the playoffs.

McClendon, 51, is the Detroit Tigers' hitting coach, his fifth year on Jim Leyland's staff. He compiled a 336-446 (.430) record in four-plus seasons with the Pirates (2001-05). When McClendon was an outfielder for the Pirates, Zduriencik was a scouting director for the Pirates.

Valentine, 60, managed for 15 years in the majors with the Texas Rangers (1985-92) and New York Mets (1996-2002), compiling an overall 1,117-1,072 (.510) record. He was 581-605 (.490) with the Rangers and 536-467 (.534) with the Mets, winning the National League pennant in 2000.

Valentine, who was the Mets' Class AAA manager when Zduriencik was farm director, also had two stints in Japan managing the Chiba Lotte Marines (1995 and 2004 to 2009). He won the Japan Series championship in 2005. Valentine is currently a broadcaster with ESPN.

The Mariners have competition for some of their candidates. Valentine is also believed to be a strong candidate with the Florida Marlins. Wedge is under consideration for vacancies with the Blue Jays, Cubs and Pirates, and Gibbons interviewed with the Pirates.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists

The Mariners have five known candidates for their managerial job, plus interim manager Daren Brown. Each of the five outside candidates has previous experience managing in the major leagues.

Candidate/Age/Interview/Major-league managerial experience

Bobby Valentine/60/Monday/1985-92, Texas; 1996-2002, Mets

Cecil Cooper/60/Tuesday/2007-09, Houston

John Gibbons/48/Tuesday/2004-08, Toronto

Lloyd McClendon/51/Wednesday/2001-05, Pittsburgh

Eric Wedge/42/Wednesday/2003-09, Cleveland