Let’s talk Padres, NFL and Wave.
Now comes the rest of the story regarding the Padres’ behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the master of stealth, A.J. Preller, in his managerial search two years ago.
It was learned Friday that Preller in fact met with Bruce Bochy — twice — after the 2021 season before deciding to hire Bob Melvin. And both of those meetings came at Bochy’s home in Nashville, Tenn.
Preller being Preller, he kept it a secret — not even informing Ron Fowler, the former Padres Executive Chairman who, in an advisory role by then, recommended Bochy to both Preller and Chairman Peter Seidler.
“I’m happy to learn that he did talk to Boch,” Fowler said Friday.
The Bochy-Melvin chapter is not one Preller was willing to revisit Friday, saying he is focused on hiring a manager to replace Melvin.
But Bochy’s longtime agent Tony Attanasio said Preller, the Padres’ President of Baseball Operations, met Bochy at his home.
“It was nothing substantive,” said Attanasio. “It was more of, ‘How are you enjoying retirement? Do you think you will come back?’ It clearly was not substantial. No, not at all.”
Whatever was discussed, Preller clearly made an effort to get to know Bochy, whose Padre tenure ended six years before Preller joined the franchise. Preller chatted with Bochy’s wife, Kim, and brought Padres colleagues with him on one of the visits, some 1,700 miles from San Diego.
It was in Melvin’s favor, a source said, that he had managed the Oakland’s A’s the previous season. Bochy, on the other hand, had been out of managing for two consecutive seasons, staying involved as a scout for the San Francisco Giants.
“Bob Melvin was a very good second choice,” said Attanasio, Bochy’s agent.
Whether or not Preller believed he would be able to hire Bochy, it was worthy a try. If nothing else, he may have gleaned insights into a generational talent who won four West titles and a pennant with the Padres between 1995 and 2006 and three World Series titles with the Giants between 2007 and 2019.
Alhough Attanasio expressed skepticism that Bochy would’ve embraced a return to the Padres, it’s doubtful any other team’s top baseball executive could match Chris Young in the Bochy sweepstakes.
The former Padres pitcher and Bochy enjoyed a strong relationship dating to their only season together in San Diego 17 years ago.
Within three months of becoming the Texas Rangers’ top baseball executive two summers ago, Young put a full-court press on Bochy in October 2022. Rangers owner Ray Davis joined in the effort, asking Bochy if there was anything he could do to persuade him to take the job.
Some 380 days after Bochy agreed to a three-year contract with the Rangers, who were off their sixth consecutive losing season, he raised the first World Series trophy ever won by the franchise Wednesday night in Phoenix.
Diversity Aids Lynch
San Diego’s John Lynch Jr. continues to trade draft picks during NFL seasons. Normally, that’s a tricky business, but it worked out in Lynch’s in-season trades for Jimmy Garoppolo, Emmanuel Sanders and Christian McCaffrey.
Look for edge rusher Chase Young, obtained Tuesday for a late third-round pick, to maintain that trend.
However, contrary to appearances, Lynch isn’t mortgaging big chunks of the team’s future drafts.
In fact, despite trading four picks for McCaffrey and joining only two other NFL GMs in moving an upper-round pick before Tuesday’s deadline, Lynch was able to select nine players in this year’s draft and stands to have 11 picks in the next draft.
How does he do it?
Sometimes, the Niners land compensatory draft picks by losing players in free agency. But it also helps that the 49ers lead the NFL with five compensatory draft picks under the league’s diverse rewards policy that was adopted in 2020. Most franchises, including the Chargers, have obtained no such picks.
How it works: teams received a draft pick, often between the third and fourth round, for a minority employee as the head coach or general manager with a different team
“We’re fortunate that some different avenues, minority coaches (and execs) brought us some picks,” said Lynch, whose 15-year Hall of Fame career at safety began under Bucs Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, who is Black. Elaborating to the Associated Press, the Torrey Pines High School graduate said: “That empowers you to do something like this.”
Young, 25, had reconstructive knee surgery two years ago this month. Generally, NFL teams say it takes two years for a player to regain consistent peak form after such a procedure.
Next, the 49ers (5-3) may need Lynch to scrounge up a decent outside cornerback.
Wave do it again
The Wave have distributed more than 30,000 tickets for their 6:30 p.m. match Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium. A victory over Seattle’s OL Reign would send coach Casey Stoney’s club to the National Women’s Soccer League championship match, held Nov. 11 at Snapdragon.
Sizable home crowds have become the norm for the Wave, who led the 12-team NWSL in announced attendance this year at more than 20,000.
