It’s an attractive job.
You don’t even have to view all the drama that’s unfolded over the last several months through brown-and-gold-colored glasses to believe A.J. Preller was being modest while describing the Padres’ now-vacant managerial job following Bob Melvin’s jump to San Francisco.
Yes, the Padres’ president of baseball operations has a long list of ex-managers.
But he’s also got Fernando Tatis Jr. And Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim. If he can’t fit Juan Soto onto a $200 million roster — and that’s a first-world problem — he’ll get a haul to either fill out the roster or continue stock a farm system that’s again in the top-10 in MLB.com rankings.
Preller’s Padres also have Luis Campusano, who has proven he can hit when allowed to play. The rotation is filled with questions with Blake Snell set to depart as a free agent, but young arms like Robby Snelling and Dylan Lesko are on the rise. Ethan Salas is coming of age, Jackson Merrill nearing his big-league debut and the Padres are rumored to be landing their second No. 1 international amateur prospect in as many seasons.
The Padres have a beautiful ballpark that is filled on a regular basis, and they say you can’t beat the weather.
That wasn’t enough for Melvin to want to keep working with Preller, who still does not have nearly enough to show for nearly a decade in San Diego.
But it’s still an attractive job, to say the least.
How attractive?
Take a look at the other managerial openings in the major leagues and decide for yourself:
Cleveland Guardians
- Why it’s open: Terry Francona stepped down after 11 seasons.
- 2023 finish: 76-86 (3rd in AL Central)
- 2023 payroll: $92 million (26th out of 30 MLB teams)
- Returning nucleus: 3B José Ramirez (5.1 fWAR), 2B Andres Gimenez (3.6), RHP Tanner Bibee (3.0), OF Steven Kwan (2.9), 1B Josh Naylor (2.5), C Bo Naylor (2.4), RHP Shane Bieber (2.1), RHP Emmanuel Clase (1.7).
- Pros: Cleveland’s pitching factory seemingly always provides options for the rotation, and the back of the bullpen is elite. The Guardians also play in one of the softer divisions in the game, so it wouldn’t take much to get back in the postseason, as Cleveland has been a playoff team in six of the last 11 years.
- Cons: The Guardians were one of eight teams that did not spend $100 million on payroll last season. That group includes two teams that made the postseason, but spending money is better than not spending money and the Guardians regularly reside in the bottom-third of the league. The farm system is also middle of the pack, according to MLB.com, with just one prospect — shortstop Brayan Rocchio — inside the top-50. He’s 47th.
- Is it better than the Padres job?: No. Ramirez remains an elite bat to build a lineup around, but none of their young, homegrown players yet look like superstars in the making and ownership has not shown an ability to bring in supporting bats. Bieber also took a step back in an injury-hampered year and is a free agent after 2024, yet another question that will need to be addressed.
Houston Astros
- Why it’s open: Dusty Baker announced he’s retiring from the field after leading the Astros one step shy of the World Series.
- 2023 finish: 90-72 (1st in AL West; advanced to ALCS)
- 2023 payroll: $237 million (7th)
- Returning nucleus: OF Kyle Tucker (4.9 fWAR), DH Yordan Alvarez (4.5), 3B Alex Bregman (4.3), RHP Framber Valdez (4.3), 2B José Altuve (4.0), OF Chas McCormick (3.8), SS Jeremy Pena (2.8), RHP Cristian Javier (1.9).
- Pros: All that tanking in the 2010s set the Astros up to win two World Series and advance at least to the ALCS in each of the last seven years. Spending is also regularly in the upper-third of the league, sometimes top-five, which means one could reasonably expect the front office to replace the likes of Justin Verlander, Bregman and Altuve as they reach free agency over the next two years.
- Cons: The system is barren, ranked dead last in the game and without a single top-100 player — which can happen when you pick as late as the team has during this run of success. Their division is also becoming increasingly difficult, with Texas in the World Series and the Mariners winning at least 88 games each of the last three years.
- Is it better than the Padres job?: Yes. The competition is stiff in the AL West, but Baker leaves behind a well-oiled machine, one poised to continue to keep winning in the short-term.
Los Angeles Angels
- Why it’s open: Phil Nevin’s option was declined after he went 119-149 over one-plus season after Joe Maddon was fired.
- 2023 finish: 73-89 (4th in AL West)
- 2023 payroll: $231 million (8th)
- Returning nucleus: OF Mike Trout (3.0 fWAR), 1B Brandon Drury (2.5), LHP Reid Detmers (2.5), LHP Patrick Sandoval (2.3), INF Luis Rengifo (1.9), RHP Griffin Canning (1.8).
- Pros: Trout is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer that’s still feared — when he’s healthy.
- Cons: Arte Moreno has a reputation as a meddlesome owner and someone who has cut corners in building the foundation of a team that has employed two generational talents and not won a single postseason game since Trout’s debut in 2011. Trout is also showing signs of aging, and Shohei Ohtani is a free agent with little reason to return as a DH as he begins his Tommy John rehab. The farm system is also ranked No. 28, according to MLB.com.
- Is it better than the Padres job?: This isn’t a serious question, is it? They couldn’t win with Ohtani, Trout and Maddon’s magic. How could anyone envision them competing in the difficult AL West any time soon?
Milwaukee Brewers
- Why it’s open: It’s not yet, but Craig Counsell’s contract is up after the World Series and the front office already granted him permission to interview with the Mets.
- 2023 finish: 92-70 (1st in NL Central; lost in NL wild-card series)
- 2023 payroll: $125 million (19th)
- Returning nucleus: C William Contreras (5.4 fWAR), OF Christian Yelich (4.1), SS Willy Adames (3.4), RHP Corbin Burnes (3.4), RHP Freddy Peralta (3.0), RHP Devin Williams (1.8), RHP Adrian Houser (1.8).
- Pros: Burnes is one of the top pitchers in the game and is under contract through one more season. Ownership doesn’t spend, but the front office has fielded playoff teams in five of the last six years. Adames, Brandon Woodruff and Mark Canha are free agents after 2024, but the game’s third-best farm system is set up well to back-fill, with outfielder Jackson Chourio (2), catcher Jeferson Quero (32), right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (36) and third baseman Tyler Black (51) all ranked highly by MLB.com.
- Cons: Woodruff’s shoulder surgery could cost him all of 2024 and the Brewers don’t have a history of spending top dollar for free agents, especially with Yelich’s nine-year, $215 million looking dreadful over the last four years.
- Is it better than the Padres job?: No. The rise of the Brewers coincides with Counsell teaming with David Stearns beginning in 2015. Stearns stepped into an advisory role after the 2022 season and right-hand man Matt Arnold took over this year, but there’s far too many questions to be answered to believe Milwaukee will seamlessly fend off the likes of the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central.
New York Mets
- Why it’s open: David Stearns took over baseball operations after the season and will hand-pick the next manager after the team massively underperformed expectations in Buck Showalter’s second season.
- 2023 finish: 75-87 (4th in NL East)
- 2023 payroll: $344 million (1st)
- Returning nucleus: SS Francisco Lindor (6.0 fWAR), OF Brandon Nimmo (4.3), RHP Kodai Senga (3.4), 1B Pete Alonso (2.8), C Francisco Alvarez (2.7), 2B Jeff McNeil (2.6).
- Pros: The highest penalty threshold is named for the owner. Steve Cohen has yet to spare any expenses in taking over this toy and that includes eating sizeable chunks of the contracts for Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to improve the prospect capital in last year’s sell-off. The Mets system is ranked just outside the top-10 by MLB.com, but they have five prospects in the top-100, led by shortstop Luisangel Acuna (38), an owner who can’t wait to shop for each year’s best free agents and a baseball ops president who cut his teeth turning a small-market team into a winner.
- Cons: The uphill climb will be difficult with the Braves and Phillies’ rise in recent years. It also takes a certain kind of person to withstand the heat in New York.
- Is it better than the Padres job?: It could be. Everything is in position for the Mets to become the Dodgers of the East Coast: Forward-thinking baseball people with limitless pockets in the country’s No. 1 media market.
