MLB insider confirms imminent arrival of new Padres manager as club interviews several candidates

The long drawn search for the San Diego Padres manager finally looks to have come to a close as they aim to lock in their choice by the end of this week. San Diego Padres need a sharp rebuild after their manager Bob Melvin left the franchise to star in the same role with their divisional opponents the San Francisco Giants.

The Padres are also in a financial crunch after they dished out a record payroll in the 2023 season, all without a postseason appearance.

As per MLB Insider Jon Morosi, the race for the Padres managerial job has come down to four candidates - Mike Shildt, Ryan Flaherty, Benji Gil, and Phil Nevin - who have been interviewed. Other unnamed potential candidates who are still in the running are yet to be interviewed.

Reviewing the chances of the remaining candidates for Padres managerial job

Phil Nevin was the latest candidate to be interviewed by the Padres. The former Los Angeles Angels manager, who was fired by the franchise after they failed to make the playoffs again, has had plenty of experience in the dugout. He has been a third base coach with the Giants and the New York Yankees before leading the Halos.

Nevin's deputy in command, bench coach Benji Gil, was allowed to interview for the Padres manager role after two years with the Angels organization.

Two internal candidates with the Padres, Mike Schildt and Ryan Flaherty also remain frontrunners. Mike Schildt has had experience managing the St. Louis Cardinals in the past and was highly successful, leading them to three consecutive playoff appearances before becoming the Senior Advisor of Player Development with the Padres.

Ryan Flaherty, meanwhile, is their Scout and Development Coach and is also looked at as a possible contender considering he took over from Melvin as interim manager when the latter was down with COVID during the 2022 season.