The Padres have formally announced that interim manager Pat Murphy will not return to the team as manager next season, and that they’ll look for a new manager to take his place. The decision was widely expected, with a report last night indicating that the team was already considering Triple-A manager and former Padres star Phil Nevin for the position.
Following a splashy offseason, the Padres got off to a disappointing 32-33 start and fired longtime manager Bud Black. Murphy took over in June and didn’t fare any better, going 42-54 as the team fell further out of contention. 2015 was Murphy’s first season as a big-league manager. Previously, he’d served as a head coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State before joining the Padres organization in 2010 and serving for several years as a manager in the minors.
It’s currently unclear whether Murphy will stay with the organization in some capacity. If he doesn’t, the Brewers might well have interest in him — as Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel notes (Twitter links), new Brewers manager Craig Counsell tried to hire Murphy earlier this season.
GM A.J. Preller will now have the opportunity to hire a manager for the first time. The Padres finished 74-88 after Preller traded away a number of top prospects to remake them last winter, and now they face the departures of Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy. One would think that the Padres manager position would not be a highly desirable one at this point, except insofar as any of the 30 managerial positions are desirable.
I’m curious as to how Preller is going to handle not only hiring a manager for the first time, but (as long as he doesn’t sign a QO-laced FA) how he’ll handle 3 first round picks after Kennedy and J.Upton leave in FA.
With a protected first round pick it may be in the organizations best interest to sign some QO’d FA. (Desmond, Cespedes, Heyward, Span, Grienke, Davis) all fit a need.
Not that I expect them to spend freely, but signing a top end arm and dealing Ross makes some sense. Another option would be the same with Weiters & Hedges…
Cespedes can’t get a QO. He was traded midseason.
Thanks, brain fart..
Makes no sense to trade Ross, one of the top 15 pitchers in baseball, just to spend alot more money on another one.
You really think Ian Kennedy will get a QO? Highly unlikley, he’s a #4 pitcher in a loaded pitching market. If he does, i’d be shocked if he didnt take it and try to rebuild his value for next years FA class which is light on pitching.
Are you kidding me? Kennedy would turn a QO down so fast your head would spin. QO’s are 1/$16m. For a pitcher especially (who can break down at any time), that doesn’t work. On the market, he’ll get 4 or 5 years and $12-13 per, and take it and thank his lucky stars.
After what teams saw this year from him and his cumulative WAR over the past 3 season it’s highly doubtful he gets $10 million, let alone a 25-30% raise to $12-13. He was worth about $6 million this year.
You could have said the same thing about Ervin Santana or Michael Cuddyer last year. Or Jeff Samardzija this year.
Kennedy is a Boras client. Boras would never let him take the QO. And he’s not likely to “rebuild his value” next year because what you saw from him in 2014-15 is basically what you’re gonna get and he’d be a whole year older a year from now.
No one is going to sign Kennedy to a long term deal with a QO hanging over his head. No one is going to sign him for $16 million period. If Preller offers him a QO then the Padres will be stuck with him for another year. Much better to just let him go and use that money on the FA market. With a protected draft pick go after someone that has a QO.
You’re the same guy who said that Shields is worth a top prospect with no cash kicked in. Your opinion means nothing. And I’ve asked you this before: If Kennedy’s not getting a QO then why in God’s name didn’t the Padres trade him at the deadline?
You seem to have very little understanding of how baseball finances work in this century. There is a 100% chance he gets the QO, a 100% chance he declines the QO and a 95% chance his next deal is for more than $50M unless he chooses to go 3 years for some reason.
That sucks! I don’t like Bud should have gotten fired but I also think this guy should get another shot. He can help GM didn’t consider strikeout and defense.
Please hire Brad Ausmus.
Bud Black?
Not sure I’ve ever seen a more undeserved use of the term “star” as I have in the phrase “former star Phil Nevin.”
He was a hard nosed player, I’ll give him that. And he had a few solid seasons, but ‘a star’…uh, no. I would call Klesko more of a star type player.
And our old manager, Bud Black, likely ends up in Washington and gets a ring or two over the next 2-3 years.
Let him.
Any interest in Pablo for 3B in return for Big Game James?
He is due for a big comeback season.
Or behind door 2 we have Hanley who will be healed and a super sub if I have seen one. Plays 1B, 3B, SS, LF–he can be your DH during Inter league Away Games.
He should be well rested.
Allen Craig is ready to return to the NL.
You think Ricky Renteria would get considered?
He didn’t do too bad in Chicago and was the bench coach in SD for a bit.