Gardenhire reacts to his interview; Red Sox ponder whether to bring in other candidates

The Red Sox conducted their third managerial interview in the last four days Wednesday, meeting with Ron Gardenhire, who managed the Minnesota Twins from 2002 through 2014.

Gardenhire, in a text message, described the interview as “very detailed and covered a lot of info. I enjoyed the process and now it’s a wait-and-see. No matter, it was a pleasure getting to talk about the Sox organization and meeting the group…very classy people.’’

Gardenhire, who served as bench coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks this past season, follows current Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora (who interviewed Sunday) and former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus (who interviewed Monday).

Left unclear is whether the Red Sox have found their next manager in this trio, or whether they plan to expand the field of candidates.

In a text message earlier Wednesday, Red Sox president of Dave Dombrowski said: “We are still sorting through the process and (determining) if we will (interview anyone else).’’

In the first round of interviews -- held off-site and away from Fenway Park -- candidates have not met with ownership. Presumably, a second-round of interviews would include principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner before any final decision is reached.

The Sox could have competition for their opening. Gardenhire interviewed with the Detroit Tigers Tuesday and is said by some in the industry to be the favorite there. His familiarity with the A.L. Central, following his long association with the Twins, could give him an edge over other candidates.

Cora, meanwhile, has already interviewed with the New York Mets and may still speak with both the Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.