The San Diego Padres have narrowed their search for a new manager to three candidates and are expected to make a final decision soon.
MLB Network’s John Paul Morosi reported on Sunday (July 7) that the Padres have narrowed their search for a new manager to four candidates. The internal candidates are senior assistant Mike Shields and bench coach Ryan Flaherty, and the external candidates are Los Angeles Angels infield coach Benji Gill and New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza.
Mendoza was named manager of the New York Mets the same day, making the San Diego managerial search a three-way battle between Shields (55), Flaherty (37) and Gill (51).
Of the three candidates, Schildt is the only one with major league managerial experience. He was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals for four years from 2018-2021. He compiled a career record of 252-199 (.559 winning percentage) and led the team to the postseason for three consecutive seasons from 2019-2021. Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Rangers) was Sylt’s head coach in 2020 and 2021 when he was with St. Louis.
A native of Mexico, Gil led the Mexican Pacific League to four championships. He also managed the Mexican National Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He spent his playing days with the Texas Rangers and Anaheim Angels. In his eight-year career, he batted .237 with 32 home runs, 381 RBIs, and a .641 OPS. He wasn’t a star player, but he was a solid all-around infielder who played solid defense.
Flaherty, who also serves as hitting coordinator, is a young coach in his mid-30s. He spent eight years playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Cleveland Indians from 2012-2019. In his career, he batted .215 with 37 home runs, 284 hits, and an OPS of .629. After retiring, he worked as a scout and developmental coach for San Diego before being named bench coach this year. He also served as interim manager after Bob Melvin tested positive for the coronavirus on June 12 last year. 보스토토 도메인
San Diego missed the postseason this season, finishing third in the National League West with an 82-80 record despite a payroll of nearly $256 million. After the season, rumors of a rift between Melvin and general manager A.J. Pfeiffer surfaced, and the rumors were confirmed when Melvin left to manage the San Francisco Giants.
Despite being in the final year of his three-year contract with San Diego, Melvin didn’t hesitate to take the Giants’ offer.