San Diego Padres ' legend Adrian Gonzalez was reportedly a finalist for the team's managerial opening this offseason.
The job eventually went to Mike Shildt, but apparently the former slugger made quite the impression.
Per David Vassegh of MLB Network on social media:
Sources: Former #Padres first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez was one of the 3 finalists for SD managerial job. Padres decided to go with a more experienced manager in Mike Schildt.
Gonzalez has not been doing any other coaching at the professional level so it remains to be seen if he will look to acquire that so he can better position himself for jobs in the future. We saw the Los Angeles Angels interview former franchise legends Tim Salmon and Torii Hunter this offseason, so it's not unprecedented to interview former players, even ones without professional coaching experience.
As a player, Gonzalez was the former No. 1 overall pick in the draft. From that point, he became a five-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover and a two-time Silver Slugger.
He was a lifetime .287 hitter who popped 317 homers and who registered more than 2,000 career hits. He spent two years with the Texas Rangers before arriving in San Diego in 2006. He stayed with the Padres until 2010 and was traded to the Red Sox before the 2011 season. He spent parts of two years in Boston before spending six years with the Dodgers. He finished his career in 2018 with the New York Mets.
The Padres finished third in the National League West in 2023 and failed to make the playoffs.
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