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The Padres are a club in transition, possibly on the brink of contention. The Padres are a club laden with farm system seedlings. The Padres are a club long overdue for a postseason berth.
Alas, the Padres are a club in need of a manager.
After four underwhelming years under Andy Green, in which winning ballgames often came second to developing young players, the Padres will in this offseason be looking to hire an experienced hand to guide their team. According to reports, the San Diego front office is prizing big league managerial experience over most other considerations in its search for the club’s 20th skipper.
#Padres expected to hire a manager with @MLB managerial experience, according to multiple people I spoke with this week. One option: Buck Showalter worked with A.J. Preller in Texas and managed Manny Machado (with considerable success) in Baltimore. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 2, 2019
While Mr. Morosi’s report did shed light on the front office’s qualifications for the job, we will summarily dispense with his suggestion of Mr. Showalter as a candidate, as that amounts to little more than conjecture. Luckily for us fans, San Diego brass already leaked a list of candidates back on September 21st—the same day of Andy Green’s firing.
Different fans will have different preferences regarding this pivotal hire. Some will value the familiarity of Rod Barajas, who has managed many of the team’s current players in the minor leagues; others will lean nostalgic, and pine for former Padres manager Bruce Bochy; then, as always, there will be those that value the big market pedigree of names like Joe Girardi or Joe Maddon.
Regardless of your individual preferences regarding San Diego’s next manager, casting your vote on the ballot below should hold some sway in Mr. Preller’s decision.
On second thought, probably not. Cast your vote anyway?
@DylanAChase
Poll
Who should be San Diego’s next manager?
This poll is closed
-
5%
Rod Barajas
(75 votes) -
17%
Bruce Bochy
(227 votes) -
41%
Joe Maddon
(542 votes) -
13%
Joe Girardi
(174 votes) -
4%
Mark Loretta
(59 votes) -
2%
Brad Ausmus
(38 votes) -
9%
"Other"
(129 votes) -
4%
Mike Scioscia
(55 votes)