5 candidates to be next San Diego Padres manager

2. Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi clearly wants to manage again, and he’s getting back into it with Team USA heading toward the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But he immediately said he has permission to listen to any Major League offers that come his way, and they will surely be coming after he essentially took himself out of the running for two openings (Reds and Rangers) last offseason.

Girardi, a former Chicago Cubs’ catcher and Peoria, Illinois, native may very well have his eye on what looks to be a looming opening on the North Side of Chicago. But if that job somehow doesn’t come open, or the Cubs simply look another direction (potentially toward first-time candidates), Girardi will be an automatic candidate for any and all other managerial openings that come.

It’s easy to see the Padres working some back channels to see if Girardi has any interest in coming to San Diego, perhaps even in the next few days if it hasn’t been done already. With his presence comes instantly credibility, and if Girardi can be better at relating to players (a criticism from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman when he was let go in New York) he might be the man to push the Padres to the next level.