Padres expect new manager to be named in coming days, per MLB insider

This offseason has already been filled with new managerial hirings and firings from coast to coast. Most recently, the Milwaukee Brewers' Craig Counsell jumped ship for the Chicago Cubs, and it looks like attentions will be turning to the San Diego Padres in a matter of days. Per FanSided's MLB Insider Robert Murray, the Friars should expect to have a manager to fill the spot Bob Melvin vacated in favor of a job with the San Francisco Giants, "by this weekend or early next week."

Among the club's top candidates are Mike Shildt, former NL Manager of the Year with the St. Louis Cardinals and current third base coach for the Padres, and Ryan Flaherty, former player and Padres bench coach, who also acted as manager in 2021 when Melvin was absent with COVID. Former Cubs manager David Ross was also linked to the search shortly after his removal in Chicago on Monday.

Padres GM AJ Preller said, "When we think we have the right person lined up, we’ll make a move.”

It's unclear what might change in the coming days, as leading options Shildt and Flaherty were the first to be interviewed; if Ross is seriously in the conversation, the Padres front office taking their time on a final decision might work out in his favor.

It also wouldn't be the first time the Padres hired a candidate out of left field. Before Melvin was hired, his involvement in the search for predecessor Jayce Tingler wasn't publicly known. This also happened under Preller's administration, so there's always a vague possibility here that the next manager of the San Diego Padres will be a complete surprise.

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