A week after he was passed over for their managerial job, Willie Randolph was hired as the Brewers’ bench coach yesterday. But Randolph, who is in contention for the job in Seattle, said he has an agreement with the Brewers that if he gets another managerial offer, he can take it.
Randolph, fired as manager of the Mets on June 17, was brought on by new Milwaukee manager Ken Macha just days after losing out to Macha in the search by Brewers general manager Doug Melvin.
“I’m excited, looking forward to this next challenge and getting to work,” Randolph said in a conference call. “I love teaching and I’m passionate about being in the game.
“Eventually, I do want to get back to managing,” Randolph added. “I didn’t really want to wait around. . . . I thought it was best to make this move.”
The Mets went 302-253 under Randolph’s watch, and his .544 winning percentage ranks second to Davey Johnson (.588) in Mets history.
“We are very pleased to add Willie to the organization as he brings recent National League expertise and success to our coaching staff,” Melvin said in a statement. “His reputation as a player is a quality that will be valuable in his teaching and coaching of our talented young team. Willie is a professional both on and off the field.”
Randolph, 54, was in the running to be the Nationals’ new bench coach under former Mets aide Manny Acta but was passed over for that, too.
The Brewers hired Macha on Oct. 30 after Melvin – who had fired Ned Yost in mid-September with Milwaukee in the heat of a playoff chase – decided not to retain Dale Sveum as interim manager.
Sveum, however, was brought back by Melvin earlier this week as the Brewers’ hitting coach.
Randolph played 124 games for the Brewers in 1991, hitting .327. He finished his playing career with the Mets the following season.
Along with his managerial experience, Randolph spent 11 seasons on the coaching staff of the Yankees as third base coach (1994-2003) and bench coach (2004). He was a part of four World Series championship teams in The Bronx.
bhubbuch@nypost.com