According to Rob Biertempfel, the San Diego Padres had Pirates' third base coach Rick Sofield in for a second interview recently. That's usually an indication that someone is a finalist for the position.
As mentioned two weeks ago when Peter Gammons first broke the news of Sofield being interviewed by San Diego, he doesn't have any Major League experience as a manager, but he has a lot of coaching experience. Sofield has managed six seasons in the minors and 15 years in the college ranks. He's also served as a minor league field coordinator for three different teams, including the Pirates.