3 Intriguing Names Added to Padres Managerial Hunt

Who shall it be?

The San Diego Padres will look for a new manager after their manager of two years, Bob Melvin, left for the divisional rival San Francisco Giants

The writing was on the wall between the two sides, and after a disappointing 2023 season, the Padres and AJ Preller are left looking for a new manager once again. 

Three new names emerged on Tuesday, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Along with internal candidates Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty, Lin introduced Benji Gil, Phil Nevin, and Eric Chavez into the equation.

Benji Gil, Phil Nevin and Eric Chavez are among the external candidates who are in various stages of the interview process for the Padres' managerial opening, sources tell @Britt_Ghiroli and me. Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty continued to be viewed as the favorites for the job.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) October 31, 2023

First on the list is the infield coach for the Los Angeles Angels and Team Mexico manager Benji Gil. Gil is a former big leaguer and has been coaching for the last ten years, eight in Mexico and the last two with the Angels. He has a ton of experience in the international game and would have a huge opportunity to show he could manage in the big leagues. 

He's also currently under consideration for the vacant Angels manager position.

Next on this list is a name familiar to Friars fans, Phil Nevin. Nevin spent 7 seasons as a player in San Diego and has been the manager for the Angels for parts of the last two seasons. The Angels dismissed him at the end of a disappointing season up in Anaheim, but the problems there weren't necessarily his fault. The Padres could give Nevin another opportunity to prove himself as a big league manager, but given that this will be Preller's sixth manager in a decade, the organization may be less inclined to take a flier on the 52-year-old. Still, he's expected to interview Preller and company this week.

Finally on this list is current New York Mets bench coach and long-time big league third baseman, Eric Chavez. Chavez is viewed as more of a long shot with some sources already saying he's no longer in the mix in San Diego. He's interviewed for managerial openings in the past but has yet to manage a team at any level. He's been a coach with the Yankees and Mets in recent years.

The options are stacking up as the official start of the offseason approaches next week.