CINCINNATI -- Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph dropped out of consideration for Cincinnati's managing job Thursday, leaving Reds third base coach Ron Oester as the top candidate.

Randolph had a second interview with the Reds on Wednesday night, but returned home Thursday when it was clear they couldn't reach an agreement.

"The commitment that I was looking for wasn't there at this time," Randolph said Thursday night, in a telephone interview from his home. "That was basically it.

"It just didn't work out. I was excited about the opportunity to maybe become a Red, but it didn't work out as far as me feeling right. I thanked them for the opportunity."

The Reds fired Jack McKeon the day after the season ended, making them the second team to dump a manager this year. They're the last one to fill the position.

Contract terms have become a stumbling block in getting McKeon's replacement.

General manager Jim Bowden had hoped to lure back Lou Piniella, who led the Reds to the 1990 World Series title. But Piniella backed out after preliminary discussions with the Reds on Tuesday and signed a three-year extension with the Seattle Mariners.

The Reds' budget is strained by the big contracts given to Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin this year. The nucleus of the club also become eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.

The Reds also had sought permission to talk to Bobby Valentine during the playoffs, but the Mets declined to give it. Valentine also agreed to a three-year extension Tuesday.

Once Piniella dropped out of consideration, the Reds went back to their second-tier candidates for another round of interviews. Randolph and Oester were considered the top candidates in that group.

Oester didn't return telephone messages left at his home in Cincinnati on Thursday. WCPO-TV in Cincinnati quoted unidentified sources as saying that Oester also was at odds with the Reds over contract terms.

There was no indication when the club would announce a manager. Bowden had no comment Thursday, keeping with his decision to conduct the manager search as privately as possible.

It was unclear whether any of the other candidates remained in consideration.

The Reds also went through a public contract dispute a year ago. McKeon led the Reds to 96 wins in 1999 and won NL Manager of the Year, but was offered only a one-year extension at less money than he expected. He finally accepted the offer.

He was fired after the Reds failed to make the playoffs despite adding Griffey in the offseason.

Ken Griffey Sr., the Reds' bench coach, also was interviewed for the job initially. Like Oester, he has never managed.

At least nine candidates were interviewed in the first round. The Reds waited to hear from Piniella, who was the top candidate on their list, before doing a second round of interviews.

If Oester gets the job, he would be the third inexperienced former Reds player elevated by Bowden. He gave Tony Perez the job in 1993 and fired him 44 games into the season.

After Davey Johnson led the Reds to the NL championship series in 1995, Bowden replaced him with Ray Knight, who failed to win and was fired in 1997.