Padres Offseason Off To Strong Start With Recent Hires

Many questions were up in the air with the San Diego Padres after finishing the 2021 season at a mediocre 79-83 under former manager Jayce Tingler. A team that did not live up to expectations saw their season crumble after the All Star Break and General Manager, A.J. Preller knew something had to be done not with the players on the field, but the ones coaching them in the dugout.

I still do have faith in A.J. Preller. I think Preller can send the Padres to the promise land that we all have imagined one day. Yes, there were questionable moves made this past trade deadline in which Preller was very conservative; however, keep in mind a lot of names; especially pitchers, were going for a high asking price. Preller went out and got the Friars an old school player in Adam Frazier who started off cold but eventually got back into the swing of things. After fantastic seasons from Tatis Jr, Machado, Musgrove and I would even put Cronenworth on that list, Preller knew that something had to be done and this time, not a blockbuster trade.

A managerial change was necessary. I am glad the Padres stayed aggressive in doing this as I did have a fear they would change their minds when the move was not immediate. Jayce Tingler was hired as the Padres skipper in 2020, came in as an inexperienced manager but was a young individual who also spoke bilingual. At the time of the hiring, I was not confident but was willing enough to give Tingler a chance. Before you know it, he takes the Padres team in a 60-game 2020 season to the playoffs to make a spectacular comeback on the Cardinals in the Wild Card series and eventually lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That season felt good. Really good. Tingler had a Padres team that had opponents fear every time they stepped on the mound or in the box. Then the pressure came. 2021 is back to a full season and Tingler has now more on his plate. The Padres were listed as contenders for the World Series and were highly expected to make a run for the division title against the new rival in the Dodgers. Instead, the Padres have one of the most mediocre second half seasons I have ever witnessed before. With that too hard to ignore, Preller finally said it was time to move on.

To be completely honest I thought Preller was going the Texas Rangers route yet again somehow, but he did not and I give him credit. We will see how Preller shakes things up with the roster during the winter, but that is for later on. (Keep an eye out for a Tommy Pham article soon.) Two moves that have been made have been tremendous by the front office. The first move that received much praise was the hiring the former Cleveland Guardians pitching coach, Rubin Niebla.

The fanbase was eager to get a manager with experience to help this team push up to the top. A lot of us including myself wanted Bruce Bochy to come out of retirement, but he is enjoying his time off after a fantastic career. I personally did not like Ron Washington as a possibility, but we all have different opinions. With all the rumors circulating the big names out there, Bob Melvin was the last name I would ever think about as it came so randomly. But I love the hire and think it was such a great move despite all the rumors being with other names. Melvin, previously with the A's since 2011 has always made the Athletics noticeable with no superstars needed. Melvin also spent time with the Diamondbacks and Mariners. Former catcher for the A's Stephen Vogt praised Melvin on his managerial skills by stating "Bob is the manager in the big leagues that allows you to be you, he does not put any expectations on how you need to play. He let's you go out and be you. All he asks is that you play hard and you play hard for each other." That is a great thing to hear for a Padres team filled with stars who love to put their talents on display. Despite finishing below .500, this team played hard and fought every game. Tatis through the injuries, Machado as the imaginary captain proving haters wrong, this team with Melvin can flourish quickly. Melvin has a managerial career .514% winning percentage and is also a 3x Manager of the Year award winner.

Now onto the pitching side of things. After an awkward departure for Rothschild, the Padres had suddenly looked lost on the mound overall after carrying the team in so many games. Ben Fritz took over as a temporary option once Rothschild was gone but did not seem to be the long-term answer. So instead, Preller goes out and gets Guardians interim pitching coach Niebla. This will be Niebla's first time as the main pitching coach and I am all for it. Look at the success Cleveland has had over the number of years on the mound! Some former Padres turned out to be studs with Cleveland but here is some names to mention: Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger and Cal Quantrill and Carlos Carrasco. Niebla has a lot of talent to coach including San Diego's favorite pitcher Joe Musgrove, Clevinger yet again, Snell, Darvish and more. It should be a very exciting offseason if it is starting off with two phenomenal moves made in the dugout already. Stay tuned San Diego!