49ers name Trent Baalke their GM

(01-04) 21:17 PST -- Team President Jed York's general manager search ended just down the hallway at Trent Baalke's door.

Baalke has been named the 49ers' general manager, the team announced Tuesday night, hours after The Chronicle reported the hiring first. His promotion comes 10 days after York announced he was going to fill a position left vacant since Scot McCloughan left in March.

"I have had the benefit of watching Trent closely in the recent months and have been very impressed with his knowledge and leadership," York said in a team statement.

Baalke's first assignment is to hire a head coach, with Stanford's Jim Harbaugh on top of the organization's wish list.

Baalke was considered the front-runner all along by league and team sources. York liked how Baalke ran the draft and personnel department after McCloughan left for undisclosed reasons, according to those inside the organization.

First, Baalke had to hold off a strong push from former Raiders executive Michael Lombardi, an NFL Network analyst who came recommended by Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Lombardi interviewed by phone last week, and had a follow-up interview this week, according to a source familiar with that part of the search. He was considered the other finalist for the job.

York stuck with a familiar face he intends to trust with all personnel decisions.

Baalke joined the organization six years ago as a regional scout, climbed the personnel ranks under McCloughan and spent the past nine months auditioning for the job as vice president of player personnel.

He got his NFL start with the Jets in 1998 under Bill Parcells, who spoke with York about his former scout last week. After three years, Baalke joined the Redskins as a national scout until 2005.

Baalke is expected to meet with Harbaugh to discuss the head-coaching job in the coming days, now that Stanford's season is over.

The 49ers have requested permission to interview minority coaching candidate Perry Fewell, the leader of the Giants' seventh-ranked defense.

San Francisco also had been granted permission by the Raiders to interview their offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson, who ran the NFL's 10th-ranked offense, but a source close to the situation has said the Raiders will hire him as head coach.

NFL teams are required to grant permission to assistants and coordinators if it's a head coaching job. But, coaches do not have to accept the invitation, and they sometimes decline if they think someone else is a lock for the job.

The 49ers have hired two straight defensive-minded coaches in Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary, and York said he thinks an offensive-minded coach could be a plus - but that's up to the GM.

Harbaugh is certainly the hottest coaching candidate of this offseason, and his previous NFL experience was on the offensive side as Raiders quarterbacks coach from 2002 through '03.

His Cardinal just went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl, four years after he took over a 1-11 program. His quarterback, Andrew Luck, gave Stanford its second consecutive runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

It's up to the 49ers to persuade Harbaugh to come down the road from Stanford, as opposed to staying put another year, or going to his alma mater, Michigan, or some other NFL team.

Now that Baalke has the promotion, it's his job to make the high-paying sell.

E-mail David White at dwhite@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle