San Diego Padres interim manager Pat Murphy has been subject to various rumors regarding his job security beyond the 2015 season. There's a possibility he remains on the team's coaching staff, but it's unlikely he remains the full-time manager.
Could former Texas Rangers skipper Ron Washington be one of San Diego's top targets?
The Padres had a disappointing 2015 after their historic offseason overhaul that was orchestrated by first-year general manager A.J. Preller. The team made the most trades in the MLB and conducted a makeover of their major-league roster while depleting their farm system, only to see the same results from 2011-2014.
On top of that, they fired longtime manager Bud Black after a 32-33 start and inserted Murphy, who had never managed in the MLB before. Murphy has gone 41-50 since taking over, which likely isn't good enough to retain the job heading into 2016.
"[The Padres] have a few things they need to attend to," Corey Brock of MLB.com told Mighty 1090 AM. "First and foremost, they need to hire a manager. I think unlike last year and other years past, you're going to see as many as 10, maybe even 12 teams looking for managers, so there's going to be an early frenzy there."
"Mike [Dee] said that the ownership is going to be there for support if need be, but this is ultimately going to be A.J. Preller's call."
When asked about his short list of potential candidates for the next Padres manager, Brock first mentioned Mark Kotsay (who is currently the team's hitting coach) and Alex Cora (who is currently a member of ESPN's Baseball Tonight crew). But he believes the man the Padres will choose is on the Oakland Athletics' coaching staff.
"How about I tell you the guy I think it's going to be? Ron Washington. I'm saying the next manager of the Padres is going to be Ron Washington."
Washington is the third-base coach for the Athletics and was hired during the season after he resigned from his position as manager of the Rangers last September. Washington is the latest name to be linked to the Padres after previous rumors suggested Brad Ausmus, Jason Varitek and others could be potential options in the offseason.
However, Ausmus is returning to manage the Tigers in 2016 while Varitek has never managed before and currently serves as a special assistant in the Boston Red Sox front office.
Washington remains an intriguing option because of his extensive experience and success in the MLB.
Preller also has a penchant for making big moves, so don't rule out Brock's prediction until the team officially decides on a new skipper.
