San Diego Padres

Despite ongoing shoulder problems that landed him on the injured list twice last season, Fernando Tatis Jr. won't have offseason surgery. 

Appearing on Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden, San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said his star shortstop will play through the shoulder issues next season like he did in 2021.   

This isn't an unexpected decision for the Padres superstar. Tatis told reporters last month he was leaning toward not going under the knife based on what his doctors were saying. 

"I haven't sat down with [Padres general manager A.J. Preller] and the doctors but I feel like everybody's in a positive way of not taking the surgery," said Tatis. "But, we'll see. I feel like I'm in a great spot, my shoulder's in a great spot, I feel very secure in where I'm at right now."

Bowden said Melvin told him the "Padres believe [Tatis'] shoulder is as strong as it's ever been."

Tatis originally dislocated his shoulder on a swing during an April 5 game against the San Francisco Giants. The 22-year-old went on the 10-day injured list to rest the injury before returning on April 16. 

During a July 30 game against the Colorado Rockies, Tatis was removed in the second inning after injuring his shoulder on a slide into second base. He returned to the lineup on Aug. 15 and finished the year without significant incident. 

Per MLB.com's AJ Cassavell, Tatis at least partially dislocated his left shoulder four times during the 2021 season. 

There was no indication from Tatis' performance on the field that he was struggling. The All-Star shortstop finished the year with a .282/.364/.611 slash line and led the National League with 42 homers in just 478 at-bats. 

Tatis is one of the three finalists for the NL MVP award, along with Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Padres will open the 2022 regular season on March 31 against the Giants at Petco Park.     

The San Diego Padres will be under the microscope in 2022 after failing to live up to elevated expectations in 2021, and they now have the manager who will look to turn things around after last season.

San Diego and Bob Melvin agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reported the Oakland Athletics picked up Melvin's 2022 option on his contract but allowed him to interview with the Padres.

The San Diego position was open because the Padres announced they fired manager Jayce Tingler on Oct. 6 after the team missed the playoffs with a 79-83 record. It wasn't just that San Diego missed the playoffs—it was the fact it did so after bringing in Yu Darvish and Blake Snell while attempting to build on the momentum its 2020 postseason appearance figured to create.

It also signed star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a massive 14-year contract extension and was a popular World Series pick.

Things seemed to be on track when the Padres were 17 games above .500 in August, but they collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs entirely in a loaded National League West. Tatis and Manny Machado got into a public shouting match in the dugout during one game in a moment that seemed to symbolize the team's downfall.

In September, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported many inside the Padres organization did not think Tingler had enough "sway to have quashed a situation that had been brewing for weeks."

Acee noted, "the sentiment Tingler was not the leader they needed or wanted has been growing in some corners of the clubhouse for a while" when writing about the manager's inability to address the Tatis situation as he became frustrated with the team's struggles.

"There are differences of opinion among some of the team's on-field personnel," Acee wrote. "But one thing virtually everyone agreed on in the hours after Saturday's mini-brouhaha was that it was the culmination of an issue a stronger manager would have taken care of weeks ago."

The report also explained many players saw Tingler as just an extension of general manager A.J. Preller and were never truly keen on him as the manager.

That is the situation Melvin is walking into for a team that will still be expected to win as soon as the upcoming season.

Tatis and Machado will anchor the lineup, and Darvish is back to lead the rotation as a five-time All-Star. The talent was there to jump out to an excellent start in 2021, and the goal in 2022 will be to do the same while avoiding the collapse that came with it.

It won't be easy in a division that also features the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, but San Diego hired Melvin because it believes he can establish consistent success within the organization that has been missing of late.

His resume suggests he can.

Melvin coached the Seattle Mariners in 2003 and 2004, the Arizona Diamondbacks for the next five seasons, and the Athletics for 11 years from 2011 through 2021. He finished his tenure in Oakland with a 853-764 record and made the playoffs six times.

He never won a World Series, though, and will look to change that on the Padres.

Former Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen interviewed for the San Diego Padres' vacant managerial position, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Lin added that former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and former New York Mets manager Luis Rojas have also interviewed for the position.

Guillen would make sense for the Padres on a few levels.

Lin noted that "Guillen, a Venezuela native, might provide the kind of Latin American presence some team officials believe the Padres' coaching staff has lacked in recent years."

He added that Guillen is "familiar" with Manny Machado, who is Dominican American. 

And Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "one thing several sources have said is the team is looking for a strong Latin American influence on the coaching staff."

The 57-year-old would also bring both playing and managing experience to the position. The three-time All-Star was an MLB shortstop between 1985 and 2000 before transitioning to coaching. He spent eight seasons with the White Sox (2004-11), going 678-617 and leading the team to two postseason appearances, including a World Series title in 2005.

Today I am reminded what it was to be a champion. I never got to win won for the city as a player but I was honored to do it as the manager. Thank you always my family, players, coaches and front office believing in me. No one will take this away. Gracias. pic.twitter.com/FoSAu340wO

— Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) October 26, 2021

His tenure in Miami lasted just one year (2012), however, as the Marlins struggled and went just 69-93.

The Padres, meanwhile, were one of baseball's biggest disappointments after reaching the postseason last year, going just 79-83 in 2021. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has built a loaded roster around Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado, but the Padres seriously underachieved this past season.

The Padres get some slack, given they were in a division with the two best teams in baseball during the regular season, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. But the collection of talent they've amassed is too good to have anything close to a losing record. Getting that underachieving group back on track will be the new manager's primary task.

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn't plan on having shoulder surgery this offseason, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The 22-year-old has battled persistent shoulder trouble all season. The Padres placed him on the 10-day injured list to close out July after he experienced the third partial dislocation of his left shoulder.

Acee explained how the window for him to undergo surgery is closing rapidly since waiting any longer would likely mean a recovery period that extended into the 2022 MLB season.

At the time of Tatis' IL stint, San Diego manager Jayce Tingler acknowledged the 2021 All-Star could have surgery if he failed to make any progress during his IL stint.

Tatis was one of three Padres position players—joining Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado—to make the 2021 All-Star Game. He was one of MLB's best hitters, finishing with 42 home runs and a .975 OPS. His 6.1 WAR were second on FanGraphs among position players.

Perhaps rest is all Tatis needs over the coming months to allow his shoulder to heal. By not taking a more proactive route, though, he might raise concerns about the injury once again becoming an issue next season.

It was somewhat surprising when the St. Louis Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt after he helped lead them to the playoffs for the third straight season, and he is reportedly already on the radar of another team.

Dennis Lin and Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported the San Diego Padres "are expected to interview" the 53-year-old for their open manager position.

San Diego was on the shortlist of the most disappointing teams in all of Major League Baseball this season.

Expectations were sky-high after an offseason that saw it add Yu Darvish and Blake Snell to the pitching staff, and a quick start did nothing to quell them. In fact, the Padres were 18 games above .500 in August at one point before they stumbled down the stretch of the season and missed the playoffs.

They fired manager Jayce Tingler as a result.

While the collapse featured a shouting match in the dugout between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado and poor play nearly across the board for stretches, the National League West club is still an enticing opening for potential managers.

After all, there is enough talent in place to compete for a World Series as soon as next season.

That Shildt is even available is surprising since he helped lead St. Louis to 90 wins and the second wild-card spot in the National League. While San Diego collapsed, the Cardinals caught fire and won 17 consecutive games at one point as they played their way into the postseason.

"We have determined we have a philosophical difference in the direction our major league club is going," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters when explaining the decision.

Shildt took over as manager during the 2018 season after Mike Matheny was fired and led the Cardinals to the playoffs in all three of his full seasons.          

The San Diego Padres are reportedly lining up managerial candidates after firing Jayce Tingler last week.

Padres leadership is asking around about potential candidates such as Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington, former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy and former Baltimore Orioles skipper Buck Showalter, per ESPN's Buster Olney.

The Friars fired Tingler after an underwhelming season in which they finished third in the National League West with a 79-83 record. San Diego was expected to compete for the top spot in the division with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an impressive 2020 season, but the Giants surprised everyone with a monumental 107-55 campaign.

In two seasons with the Padres, Tingler went 116-106 and 2-4 in the postseason.

Washington was a candidate for San Diego's vacant head coaching position in 2019, finishing second behind Tingler, so there's no reason to believe he won't be in consideration for the job again this winter.

The 69-year-old joined Brian Snitker's coaching staff in 2016 and has played an integral role in Atlanta's success over the years, specifically in the development of many young players.

Washington managed the Texas Rangers from 2007 to 2014, recording a 664-611 record, and recently said in an interview with XTRA1360's Marty Caswell that he still has the desire to manage a major league club again.

Meanwhile, Bochy is one of the most intriguing candidates there is, having won three championships with San Francisco. He managed the Giants from 2007 to 2019 and hasn't coached since stepping down.

The 66-year-old also has deep roots in San Diego, playing for the Padres from 1983 to 1987 before managing the club from 1995 to 2006. In his 12 seasons coaching the Friars, he went 951-975, winning the NL pennant in 1998.

As for Showalter, he said in a recent interview with The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli that he would definitely consider managing again, adding that he would "listen" if the Padres gave him a call.

Showalter has not managed since 2018 when he went 47-115 with the Orioles. He spent nine of his 20 seasons managing in Baltimore, going 669-684 in that span.

The 65-year-old has also managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.

In addition to the candidates mentioned, Olney adds that Yankees manager Aaron Boone might also be considered for San Diego's managerial position if he loses his job in the Bronx.  

As we inch closer to the MLB offseason, teams are beginning to map out their plans for free agency. Rumors are starting to fly as organizations are looking for improvements both on the field and in the front office.

Here, we look at the latest buzz surrounding three MLB teams who hope to upgrade multiple areas this offseason.

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Yankees Likely to Retain Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman

After the New York Yankees lost last week's American League Wild Card Game to the Boston Red Sox, fans were calling for changes to be made, namely for the team to part ways with manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman.

It looks like Yankees fans will not be getting what they wished for, though. Jon Heyman of MLB Network noted after last week's game that the GM "isn't going anywhere."

Heyman points to Cashman still having a year left on his contract and the team's success under his leadership as reasons he will be back next season. The Yankees have won four World Series titles with the 54-year-old as GM, and they've made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons.

As for Boone, Heyman added that he is "beloved by Cashman and the players," so it looks as though he will be back for another year as well. He has a .601 winning percentage in his five seasons as Yankees manager.

The Yankees were a streaky team this season that failed to find any consistency. If no changes are made to the front office or coaching staff, New York will have to be big spenders in free agency if it hopes to contend next season.

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Phillies Looking for Upgrade at Shortstop

This year's class of free agents is headlined by a strong group of shortstops. Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez and Marcus Semien are all expected to hit the open market.

One team that will reportedly be in play for any one of those stars is the Philadelphia Phillies. Heyman reported there is no guarantee Didi Gregorius will be back as their starting shortstop

Heyman also noted Phillies owner John Middleton "wants to win," as evidenced by his recent spending in free agency. In the past three years, the team has made splashy offseason moves by bringing in Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto and Zack Wheeler, among others.

Despite the big-name additions, the Phillies failed to make the playoffs this season and have not played in the postseason since 2011. Philadelphia's 82-80 record this year was its first season with a winning record in 10 years.

The Phillies will also be seeking a left fielder and closer this offseason, according to Heyman.

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Ron Washington a Candidate for Padres Vacancy

The San Diego Padres fired manager Jayce Tingler last week after the team fell short of expectations with a disappointing 79-83 record this season.

After things didn't work out in two seasons with a first-time manager, San Diego might be looking for someone more experienced to lead the team.

According to Heyman, Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington is a candidate the Padres will consider pursuing this offseason for the position.

The 69-year-old served as manager for the Texas Rangers from 2007-14. He led the team to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 but lost to the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. He has a winning percentage of .521 as a manager (664-611).

Washington was in the running for the Padres position last time they had an opening, so he may have a head start on other candidates. Heyman noted that he finished second behind Tingler the last time around.

The San Diego Padres announced the firing of manager Jayce Tingler on Wednesday.

The move comes after San Diego fell well short of expectations by missing the playoffs and finishing with a losing record (79-83).

General manager A.J. Preller issued a statement on the decision:

Jayce accomplished a great deal in his two seasons with the Padres, leading our team through an unprecedented pandemic and into the postseason for the first time in 15 years. I have tremendous respect for him as a coach, colleague and friend. After much thought and consideration over the last several weeks, we felt change was necessary at this time to ultimately reach our championship potential in San Diego.

Tingler's ouster was widely expected, with MLB Network's Jon Heyman reporting he was on the way out before the Padres finished up the regular season.

The 40-year-old may get another shot to manage an MLB team, and perhaps he'll find success elsewhere.

The Tingler news is not surprising in the least, but I do wonder if he'll get another shot at openings this year. I'd interview him if I was a team looking for a new manager.

— Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) October 6, 2021

As San Diego collapsed over the second half of the year, it became apparent he wasn't a good fit there, though.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Eno Sarris detailed the internal dysfunction, which partially left Tingler at a disadvantage. He didn't, for example, have much input on his own coaching staff.

One former team employee told The Athletic that San Diego has "some deep-rooted cultural problems there."

"It’s not always inviting to people with different ideas, perspectives or backgrounds," the source said. "And it’s not all the fault of the people who are gone, either. It’s pervasive."

But Tingler's inexperience left him unequipped to right the ship as the Padres' season started going off the rails. The dugout argument between Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. may come to symbolize their 2021 campaign more than any other moment.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee wrote in September that "the sentiment Tingler was not the leader they needed or wanted has been growing in some corners of the clubhouse for a while."

Tingler may have been hamstrung from the moment he was hired in October 2019.

According to The Athletic, some inside the clubhouse were looking for the front office and ownership to hire a manager with "experience and cachet" after Andy Green's dismissal. Tingler checked neither of those boxes.

His existing relationship with Preller was also reportedly a point of concern, too, since some wondered about his level of distance and autonomy from the front office.

Considering their World Series ambitions won't be going anywhere in 2022, one would presume the Padres will target managers with proven track records in MLB to guide them into the future.

The current baseball era has shown one need not have a big major-league playing or coaching résumé to be a successful manager, but when things go south as they did in San Diego, his clubhouse cred is harder to achieve without that level of experience. Seemed to be the case here. https://t.co/YdaXEIF0My

— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) October 6, 2021

The big question is whether the issues outlined by The Athletic will hinder San Diego's search. Preller and the front office may have to amend their approach behind the scenes in order to lure a World Series-winning manager to Southern California.

Coming off one of the best seasons of his career, Marcus Stroman figures to be one of the most sought-after starting pitchers in free agency. 

Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Stroman is expected to be one of the pitchers targeted by the San Diego Padres this offseason. 

The Padres collapsed down the stretch this season in part because of injuries and poor performances from their pitching staff. They finished 79-83 despite being 18 games over .500 as late as Aug. 10. 

General manager A.J. Preller has tried to stockpile starters to boost San Diego's roster. He acquired Yu Darvish, Mike Clevinger and Blake Snell in separate trades between August and December 2020. 

Clevinger made four starts with the Padres after the trade last season, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason and missed all of 2021. Darvish posted the highest ERA of his career in a season in which he made at least 30 starts (4.22). 

Snell actually had a fantastic second half in 2021 after having a 4.99 ERA before the All-Star break. The 2018 American League Cy Young winner posted a 3.24 ERA with 77 strikeouts and 36 hits allowed in 58.1 innings during the second half.

All three of those pitchers are still under contract with the Padres for next season. Adding Stroman to that group would give them a potentially dominant starting rotation if Darvish and Snell get back on track and Clevinger has a successful return from elbow reconstruction surgery. 

Stroman tied his career high with 33 starts this season. The 30-year-old had a 3.02 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 179 innings for the New York Mets.    

The San Diego Padres will reportedly fire manager Jayce Tingler after falling short of expectations by missing the 2021 MLB playoffs.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the news Saturday ahead of the Padres' second-to-last game of the season.

The 40-year-old helped guide San Diego to the postseason during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the franchise's first taste of playoff baseball since 2006.

But that achievement provided little in the way of job security because ownership and the front office made it clear that more would be required this year.

Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension, eliminating any doubt regarding his long-term future with the team. The size of the deal was also a sign of intent for an organization looking to gain a foothold in its home city.

General manager A.J. Preller demonstrated his typical aggressiveness in acquiring Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Keone Kela and Ha-Seong Kim during the offseason.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers were still widely favored to win the National League West, they appeared to have genuine competition in the form of the Padres.

The two teams met for a three-game series in mid-April, and it had a playoff feel as the first game went to 12 innings and the second ended 2-0.

When San Diego and L.A. met again four days later at Dodger Stadium for a four-game set, the Padres won three and Tatis mashed five home runs.

It looked like a battle for the West was on.

But the Dodgers' in-state competition didn't come from the south. The San Francisco Giants clinched a playoff spot Sept. 13 and led the NL West by two games with two games to play.

The Padres, on the other hand, were eliminated from postseason contention with a 10-8 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 25.

"We did not reach our goal this year," third baseman Manny Machado said. "We're going to come back next year hungrier. ... We fell short. That's all that matters, and we're all down about it. We were expecting something. It didn't happen."

Blaming what went wrong on Tingler would be misguided.

Tatis had shoulder problems all season. Snell, Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet missed time. The catcher position was a black hole, as both Luis Campusano and Victor Caratini finished with negative WAR, per FanGraphs.

The Athletic's Dennis Lin called it "the most disappointing season in team history."

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild was axed in August. San Diego let go of farm director Sam Geaney with his contract due to expire and reassigned scouting director Mark Conner. That led many to wonder whether Tingler would be next.

While quickly quashed, the dugout argument between Machado and Tatis summed up a period in which the Padres' season went off the rails. The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee reported it was also emblematic of "one of the Padres' most pressing issues":

Multiple people inside the organization said the situation with Tatis has been building for weeks, as the 22-year-old has grown increasingly frustrated with the team's postseason chances slipping away and his being unable to lift the Padres on his shoulders. He was talked to by a veteran player about his brooding on at least one occasion before Saturday.

There are differences of opinion among some of the team's on-field personnel. But one thing virtually everyone agreed on in the hours after Saturday's mini-brouhaha was that it was the culmination of an issue a stronger manager would have taken care of weeks ago.

Acee also noted Tingler's close relationship with Preller led some players to question whether the line between the manager and the front office had become too blurred.

Experience isn't a prerequisite for success for MLB managers. Dave Martinez in his second season guided the Washington Nationals to their first World Series title in 2019. Alex Cora collected a title in his first year with the Boston Red Sox in 2018. Dave Roberts has three National League pennants and a World Series ring through five full seasons. Given the way the Tingler era unfolded, though, the Padres may target candidates who are familiar with the pressure that comes with guiding a championship contender.