Ex-Red Sox Slugger Surprisingly Was Finalist For Padres Manager Job

One former member of the Red Sox reportedly almost landed the open Padres manager job

The San Diego Padres officially have a new manager.

San Diego lost former manager Bob Melvin this offseason to the San Francisco Giants and has been interviewing possible candidates ever since. The Padres ultimately hired former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt after much speculation but one former member of the Boston Red Sox popped up, as well. 

Former Red Sox first baseman Adrián González reportedly was a finalist for the open Padres job, according to MLB Network's David Vassegh.

"Sources: Former Padres first baseman, Adrián González was one of the three finalists for the SD managerial job," Vassegh said. "Padres decided to go with a more experienced manager in Mike Schildt."

González was drafted in the first round of the 2000 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the then-Florida Marlins and eventually made his big league debut with the Texas Rangers in 2004. He played 15 seasons in the big leagues and earned five All-Star nods and four Gold Glove Awards. Throughout his career, he spent time with the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets. 

The 41-year-old was a star throughout his big league career and saw his most success as a member of the Padres but still, it was surprising to see his name in the mix for the manager job. He hasn't been coaching at the big league level since retirement but it sounds like he may at some point. Maybe next year we will see González floated as a manager option again. 

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