Padres Rumors: Jason Varitek Drawing Interest As Manager Again?

According to MLB Network’s Peter Gammons, Jason Varitek, two-time World Series champion, and former Boston Red Sox catcher from 1997 to 2011, has been rumored to be a future manager for a Major League ball club. Apparently, this isn’t the first time these rumors have swirled. The Padres, have been rumored before to be one of those teams.

This might fascinate some Padres fans, and even Red Sox fans, being a transplant city after all. This could stay a rumor though, as there are no indications that Bud Black will be fired and the club seems to want to keep him around for 2015.

But with this current ownership group, let’s not hold our collective breath. (See: Bud Selig H.O.F. plaza, firing former General Manager Josh Byrnes mid-season.)

This rumor makes sense and it doesn’t. Padres President and CEO Mike Dee served as the former Boston Red Sox Chief Executive Officer from 2002 to 2009 and has seen what kind of leader Tek’ can be. On the other hand, General Manager A.J. Preller has absolutely ZERO ties to Varitek and did not mention bringing in Tek’ in his interviews, said Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

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Catchers are some of the smartest chess-players of the game. Former catchers and now current managers like 2002 World Series Champion (whom Bud Black served with as their pitching coach in 02‘) Mike Scioscia with the Angels, Mike Matheny with the Cardinals, and Joe Girardi with the Yankees are all over the game. Former Padres’ catcher and current Tigers’ skipper Brad Ausmus, for example, are some of the newer managers in the game, who also served behind the plate, so the Varitek rumor isn’t unfounded.

But some of these franchises have had  better luck, greater talent and far better farm systems. Not to mention, some have higher payrolls. Managers like Matheny and Ausmus had no managing experience before being hired, but this no way indicates that Black (not a catcher but a former MLB pitcher) is not a great manager, but he’s basically been given the opposite and has had no stability unlike the Angels, Cardinals and Tigers. Stay tuned Padres fans.

Keep The Faith.