Padres coach named a Mets candidate as San Diego reshapes staff

The San Diego Padres' coaching staff is on the verge of looking brand new for the 2026 season. Mike Shildt is already out as manager, pitching coach Ruben Niebla may seek manager vacancies around the league, and now, the Friars' third base coach might be as good as gone.

Tim Leiper, who has spent the last two seasons as the Padres' third base coach and infield/base-running instructor, is reportedly a hot name this offseason. The 59-year-old could be joining the New York Mets' staff as the Padres are likely to clean house this winter.

Padres' third base coach Tim Leiper could be on the move again this MLB offseason

Prior to Leiper's two seasons in San Diego, he was the first base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays for five years. He was also a minor league outfielder for 12 seasons in the 1980s and 90s, which included two stints with the Mets. His first professional coaching gig came within the Mets' organization, too back in 1996 in Binghamton. So, there is a familiarity with that organization, and this specific move would make sense for Leiper.

He would definitely be missed in San Diego, though. The best metric to determine the value of a third base coach is how many runs a team can score throughout a season. In 2024, the Padres were sixth in Major League Baseball in runs scored. This past season, the Friars were 11th. Leiper doesn't need to receive all the credit for San Diego generating runs, considering the club has productive bats like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. But, Leiper sure didn't hurt the team.

Besides Machado's 95 RBIs in 2025, no one else on the roster had more than 72. San Diego's offense struggled to put runs together in different pockets of the season, but they still found a way to finish 11th in total runs scored. That's not terrible, considering the disparity in production from batter to batter, so Leiper deserves a nod for that. If he winds up setting sail for the East Coast, we wish him well.