PITTSBURGH -- Though the announcement of Frank Coonelly as the Pirates' new president wasn't even hours old, that's not to say that Coonelly hadn't already begun to work.

By the time he sat down with various members of the local media, Coonelly had task No. 1 already clearly outlined -- finding the team's next general manager.

"That is priority No. 1," Coonelly said. "That begins immediately and there is nothing higher on the radar screen than finding the right person who agrees with the philosophy and the principles that I believe in and can best implement those."

Actually, for that matter, he hadn't even been named to the position yet when the phone started ringing.

"When it leaked out that I might be coming here, my phone started ringing," Coonelly said. "I've already had several people who I haven't talked to formally as a candidate, but who have all said, 'Frank, if you're in Pittsburgh, I would consider it.'"

Well, now that he is in Pittsburgh, the time to consider has begun.

With Pirates principal owner Bob Nutting waiting to finalize the CEO hire before moving forward in the search for the team's next GM, the Pirates had not yet asked any other clubs for permission to speak with anyone from their front offices. Don't expect that to be the case for much longer.

During Nutting's two-month search for the next team president, one of the things the Pirates' owner found compelling about Coonelly was how much his job as the chief labor counsel put him in contact with front office personnel around Major League Baseball.

Consequently, both Nutting and Coonelly expect Coonelly's relationships league-wide to bode well once that GM search commences.

"Certainly, from my perspective in talking to people throughout the industry, I think having Frank here is a huge advantage in being able to attract the very best talent," Nutting said. "I'm confident that no one could do a better job here in Pittsburgh and no one could do a better job attracting a great GM."

"I've been fortunate in that I've been able to work with every general manager, every assistant general manager, director of baseball relations, director of player personnel with all the clubs and develop very strong relationships with them," said Coonelly. "There are many people out there who are excellent candidates, and I look forward to moving forward in that process immediately."

Two candidates expected to be among the front-runners to take over the position left vacant by Dave Littlefield are Ruben Amaro Jr., the assistant GM for the Phillies, and Jack Zduriencik, a special assistant to the GM for the Brewers, as well as the organization's director of amateur scouting.

There is little question that Amaro's credentials and track record makes him one of the most attractive candidates for any team's GM position. He has served as the assistant GM in Philadelphia for the past nine years and recently interviewed with the Astros for their GM vacancy.

With Coonelly's connection to Philadelphia -- the new Pirates president is currently a season-ticket holder and makes his home right outside the city -- and the fact that his former job necessitated close work with GM's across the country, Amaro appears to be an intriguing option.

On the other hand, with the Pirates looking for someone with a noted background in player development from the ground up, it would be hard to look past Zduriencik's name.

Since joining the Brewers after the 1999 season, Zduriencik has been responsible for drafting many of the core players on a Milwaukee team currently fighting for a playoff berth. Those players include: J.J. Hardy (2001), Prince Fielder (2002), Rickie Weeks (2003) Yovani Gallardo (2004) and Ryan Braun (2005).

On Wednesday, Weeks expressed no doubt about Zduriencik's ability to make the career jump.

"Obviously, we don't want him to go, but he would be a great GM," Weeks said. "He knows the game and I think he would be a great guy to run a team."

Zduriencik's familiarity with Pittsburgh and the Pirates are also strong. A native of New Castle, Pa., Zduriencik was the Pirates' director of scouting for a little less than three years back in the early 1990s.

Right now, it is unknown whether Tony LaCava, Toronto's director of player personnel, will be strongly considered for the position, though a source close to LaCava recently said that the Pittsburgh resident would likely be interested in the position if approached. LaCava has been touted by many inside baseball as one of the best GM candidates waiting in the wings.

One candidate who won't be considered is White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn.

When rumors of Coonelly's hire first surfaced, another name that surfaced as a possible replacement for Littlefield was that of Hahn. Hahn, who has a close relationship with Coonelly, however, recently removed his name from consideration.

"With all the positive things I have heard about their future, there is no question that Pittsburgh will be a great opportunity for whomever the Pirates end up hiring," Hahn said on Wednesday. "But when I weigh all the factors, it's not a perfect fit for me at this time."

The list of candidates will undoubtedly grow as the interview process takes shape in the coming weeks. However, Nutting intends to make the search process an exclusively internal one with hopes of little to no media fanfare.

"I think the reason that the president search went really well is because we didn't do it as a public circus," Nutting said. "It was a quiet, focused process that allowed us to look closely and in-depth and allowed us to end up with a fantastic end result. I think you're going to see that same type of approach with the GM as far as not having a [media-driven] popularity contest."