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Padres News: Padres Won’t Let Murphy Go

By Andrew Beccarelli|May 20, 2015

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that new Milwaukee Brewers head coach, Craig Counsell, wants long time friend, Pat Murphy, to join his major league coaching staff. There’s just one problem. Murphy is currently the head coach of the San Diego Padres Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas, and the Padres have no interest in letting him leave.

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According to Rosenthal’s report, the Padres “have balked at letting him go.” One of Rosenthal’s sources also report that the Padres “believe that losing their Triple-A manager in the middle of the season would be “chaotic,”.

It’s fairly common for minor league coaches to leave and join major league teams at almost any time. Usually if a minor league coach has the “huge” opportunity to join a major league staff, their major league affiliate will let them. One of baseball’s many “unspoken rules”.

So why isn’t this the case for Murphy? Why would losing him be as devastating as the Padres are making it sound?

One obvious theory that Rosenthal suggests, the Padres see Murphy as a replacement for Buddy Black.

Ownership and new GM A.J. Preller have given Black the offensive weapons he has never had & even more dangerous arms for his rotation and bullpen this off-season. But now Black finds himself on the hot seat after the Padres’ offense and pitching have cooled off after their hot start earlier this season. The Padres are now at 20-20 and it looks like Black is coaching to keep his job now.

One rival executive expressed his skepticism to the Padres’ explanation to Rosenthal:

"“(Murphy) must have been made promises – big one,”"

Now, what could that mean?

Murphy, a former player with the San Francisco Giants and Padres, coached at Notre Dame from 1988-1994 (318-116-1) & at Arizona State University from 1995-2009 (629-284-1). Murphy joined the Padres organization in 2010 and has coached minor league affiliates as the Eugene Emeralds, Tucson Padres, and currently the El Paso Chihuahuas.

What do you guys think? Do you buy the Padres explanation for not letting Murphy go or is there more to it? Could Murphy be the next Padres manager if Buddy is let go?

Personally, if the Padres end up firing Black I’d like to see current Bench Coach, Dave Roberts, get a shot at it.

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