The San Diego Padres already appear to have a contingency plan in motion for their managerial opening.
The job officially opened up on Tuesday after Bob Melvin, their skipper for the last two seasons, agreed to become the new manager of a division rival. Melvin had received permission from the Padres to interview for the new job and ended up taking it just days later.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported later in the day on Tuesday that two frontrunners have already emerged for the now-vacant San Diego manager position. Lin says that the current expectation within the team is that either Mike Shildt or Ryan Flaherty will get the job, even if outside candidates are interviewed.
Shildt, 55, is the Padres’ Senior Adviser to Player Development & Major Leagues. He previously served as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-21, going 252-199 (.559) with one division title before getting fired amid back-to-back playoff exits in the NL Wild Card round.
Flaherty, 37, was a bench coach for the Padres this season after being hired by the team as an advanced scout and development coach before the 2020 campaign. While Flaherty is still a relative newbie, he played eight seasons in Major League Baseball as an infielder from 2012-19.
San Diego seemed very willing to let the three-time Manager of the Year Melvin walk, perhaps in part due to rumored tensions with GM A.J. Preller. But it may have also been because they already had a potential successor or two in mind.
More must-reads: