5 candidates to be next San Diego Padres manager

1. Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon appears to be a lame duck in Chicago, as the Cubs slowly fall from playoff position and with no indication he’ll get a new contract when his deal expires at the end of the season. The latest sign he and the front office are still disconnected came this past week, when first baseman Anthony Rizzo made a surprise return to the lineup from a severe ankle injury. Maddon said he was not informed of Rizzo’s availability until practically the last minute by team president Theo Epstein and the training staff.

Maddon is 65 years old, but he has said he wants to manage until he’s at last 70. His tenure with the Cubs has clearly run its course, but you don’t have to squint too hard to see some similarities between the state of the Cubs when he took over in 2015 and state the Padres are in now. When (or if, if there’s any lingering optimism he’ll be back with the Cubs) Maddon is available, he won’t lack for opportunities to manage in 2020 if he wants them. Unless he changes course and says otherwise, let’s assume he won’t be taking a year off next year.

After doing big contracts in each of the last two offseasons, with a strong case for making at least one more big move this coming offseason, the Padres could go with a big-name manager and bring Maddon to San Diego.