Padres Bench Coach Rick Renteria A Leading Candidate For Cubs Managerial Job

Oh, those Cubs. Forever trying to snatch up all the Padres' personnel. It's like they're trying to get back at us for something that happened 29 years ago. How immature.

The latest object of Chicago's interest is not an object at all, but another human being. This one is Padres bench coach Rick Renteria. He has been noted by several outlets as a, or even the, leading candidate for the Cubs' managerial vacancy. It seems a little strange to me because I figured they'd be shooting for a bigger name just to mollify their largely-ignorant fanbase.

Although Renteria has yet to manage in the majors, he has experience as a field general in the minors. He spent four years at the helm of Marlins minor league teams form 1998 though 2001, making his way up to AA Portland (Maine). After coming over to the Padres organization, he served as high-A Lake Elsinore's hitting coach in 2003 before managing the team for three seasons. He got the bump up to AAA in 2007 with yet another Portland team, this one in Oregon. Renteria got the call to the majors in 2008 as the Friars' first base coach, and has been bench coach for the past three seasons.

Rick Renteria is not related to former major league infielder Rich Renteria because he is former major league infielder Rich Renteria. Somewhere along the line after his playing days he switched it up. Why? That's a great question. If you have the answer, please pass it along. My best guess is that he's always preferred Rick but they got it wrong in his younger days and he was just so grateful to be there that he went along with it. I'm probably wrong but, hey, it's happened before.

Other candidates for Chicago's big job opening include former Indians and Nationals manager Manny Acta and former Diamondbacks skipper A.J. Hinch, both of whom have already been interviewed. You may recognize Hinch's name because he is also a current Padres employee. The former catcher and present vice president of pro scouting is considered a longshot, so that's why this dispatch is about Renteria, not him.