The San Diego Padres have been one of the most talked about teams in the MLB this season. They made the most offseason trades in the league, but when they didn't pan out the team fired longtime manager Bud Black after just 55 games.
The latest rumors foreshadow more big moves in the offseason.
It appears as if interim manager Pat Murphy is no lock to remain with the team heading into 2016. Since taking over for Black, the former Triple-A El Paso skipper is just 35-40 with the MLB club.
"The Padres have not made a final decision on interim manager Pat Murphy; they've said it's not necessarily about wins and losses and they like that he's out in the clubhouse with good attention to detail, but it's been a mixed bag (and the record isn't good), so he's far from guaranteed to return," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
To build off of that, general manager A.J. Preller spoke to Corey Brock of MLB.com about the whole situation and said a decision will not be made until the end of the season and that the club will take their time searching for a new manager if that's the direction they choose.
One possible candidate has already been rumored to succeed Murphy.
"Whether the Padres decide to hang onto interim manager Pat Murphy or opt to go in another direction for a manager for 2016, they'll be facing competition and likely quite a bit of it," Brock writes.
"The number of teams that could see managerial changes this offseason might hit double digits, like the Tigers, who, according to an unconfirmed report, will dismiss Brad Ausmus after the season.
"Ausmus, who makes his home in Del Mar, worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from 2011-13. He would figure to get an interview for the job in San Diego."
While Tigers' general manager Al Avila addressed the report and said the team has not decided Ausmus' fate, rumors suggest the second-year manager will be gone after the season because he was the choice of former GM and team president Dave Dombrowski, who is now with the Boston Red Sox.
Whatever the case, a number of teams have already made managerial changes, such as the Marlins, Brewers, Phillies and Padres. Others such as the Tigers, Phillies (again), Marlins (again), White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Reds, Nationals and Rockies could follow suit, which would create an immense turnover.
Preller is aware once the offseason hits there could very well be a vast availability of capable managers. The team will stick for Murphy for now, and while he has a chance to remain manager for the 2016 season, the potential manager free-agent class is likely to hurt his chances.
