Bruce Bochy Not Interested In Managing In 2020

After wrapping up his lengthy tenure as the manager of the Giants, Bruce Bochy is not going to head into the dugout with another organization — at least, not right away. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter), Bochy has informed interested teams that he won’t interview for open managerial positions this winter.

It had at least been worth wondering whether Bochy might be wooed by one of the eight (now seven) teams that needed new skippers. He is only 64 years of age, after all, and has never said he’d be certain never to return to the dugout. There was a bit of a send-off tour as Bochy circled the majors this year, and he did say he was retiring, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation — including from within the Giants clubhouse.

For now, Bochy will remain with the San Francisco organization as a special assistant. But it seems he could be open to considering a return to a managerial role as soon as next year. Bochy has indicated before that he wouldn’t rule out that possibility in advance, preferring instead to see how things unfold once he steps away from the Giants.

There’s little doubt that other clubs would have interest. Bochy has overseen some rough recent campaigns in San Francisco, but it’s doubtful any other manager would’ve coaxed more from those rosters. And the mediocre conclusion doesn’t detract from the Bochy-led Giants’ remarkable run of three World Series titles in five years.

Indeed, the Padres — who Bochy managed for a dozen years before going up the coast — are even said to have “offered him a job.” (Whether that refers to the San Diego managerial vacancy isn’t made clear, but seems fair to presume.) It seems unlikely that particular position will be open this time next year, barring a calamitous first season for whomever is hired, but Bochy will surely end up fielding phone calls as the 2020 campaign draws to a close.