ESPN REPORT: The head coach of the San Diego Padres is fired because of…
San Diego Despite an ugly collapse in the late season that left them with yet another losing record, the Padres continue to feel they have a World Series-caliber club.
Manager Jayce Tingler will not be leading the Padres to the Fall Classic if they do make it there in the near future.
Three days after finishing 79-83 and in third place in the NL West, 28 games behind San Francisco, the Padres dismissed Tingler on Wednesday.
Tingler, who finished second in the NL Manager of the Year voting just a season ago, will have the chance to stay with the team, according to general manager A.J. Preller.
Tingler’s demise was cemented after an astonishing collapse in which the Padres went from leading the NL in wild card play on September 9 by one game to being out of the postseason race with seven games remaining. In 11 seasons, the Padres secured their tenth losing record.
In two seasons, Tingler’s overall record was 116-106.
Editor’s Selections
Not firing Jayce Tingler addresses the underlying issue facing the San Diego Padres 2yLeading by superstars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. and with Tingler as their rookie manager, the Padres have embraced the high expectations generated by their postseason run during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, according to David Schoenfield Preller.
After dismissing Tingler, a friend from their time together with the Texas Rangers organization, Preller stated, “In the end, I felt like this was a change we needed to make in order to get us on that big stage.” “We believe that our squad is capable of playing well into October and that we have a good group. Today’s decision is a reflection of it.”
In a statement, Tingler stated: “While I’m profoundly disappointed that our season ended far too soon, I know this team has a very bright future ahead.”
Similar to Preller, owner Peter Seidler stated to The Associated Press that this season “is ultimately seen as an anomaly because we’re going to be a competitive, World Series-caliber team for the next few years.” That’s undoubtedly the benchmark we set for ourselves.”
Before being hired on October 28, 2019, Tingler had only managed rookie-level ball and had spells in several Dominican leagues.
Prior to spending a year as the big league third-base coach, Andy Green, Tingler’s predecessor, managed four seasons in Arizona’s farm system without having any prior big league managing experience.
“I trust A.J. to get this thing right this time but I’m not going to demand that it has to fit a checklist item,” Seidler stated. “We’re going to find the right human being to be our manager and he’s going to lead us to great things next year and for years to come.”
In 2020, Tingler led the Padres to a 37-23 record and their first postseason trip in thirteen years. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series, swept them in the division series after they had defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a wild-card series.
The Padres, who had a payroll of $175 million, came into the season with hopes of winning the World Series and played with confidence. However, during the second half of the season, several issues both on the field and in the clubhouse emerged.
Tatis, who is still a strong candidate for National League MVP, struggled with a reoccurring issue to his left shoulder and was even temporarily shifted to the outfield to reduce his risk of further damage.
Following their inability to acquire a starting pitcher before the trade deadline, the Padres saw Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Chris Paddack suffer injuries that severely damaged their rotation and left them without a backup pitcher.
The Padres attempted to move first baseman Eric Hosmer at the deadline, which reportedly infuriated certain players. Subsequently, rumors circulated that certain players had visited Preller to express their discontent with Tingler’s work.
On September 18, Machado got into a heated argument with Tatis in the dugout, so much so that teammates and a coach had to break it up. Tatis struck out looking and then contested umpire Phil Cuzzi’s call, which sparked the altercation. Tingler wasn’t in the dugout when the superstars clashed; instead, he was removed after he emerged to argue on Tatis’ side.
The Padres fell to an even worse record.
“I am the first to fail. “I intend to examine myself in the mirror and honestly assess what went wrong and what needs to be adjusted,” declared Seidler, who is a third-generation descendant of the O’Malley family, who formerly owned the Dodgers.
“As an organization, it’s very clear to me everybody wasn’t pulling on the same end of the rope this year and that’s got to completely change,” Seidler stated.
In response to a question about whether the clubhouse had turned poisonous, Seidler stated, “It wasn’t as professional as I would expect it to be.”
Seidler stated that ownership was dedicated to delivering a championship to a fan base that had seen more than its fair share of defeat back in February, following the Padres’ awarding of Tatis the longest contract in baseball history—a $140-million, 14-year agreement. The $300 million, ten-year contract for Machado in 2019 and the $144 million, eight-year pact for Hosmer in 2018 were followed by the Tatis deal.
“We turned out at the ballgame. We need to intensify our efforts to win a championship for San Diego, as we rank third in the major leagues in attendance this year,” Seidler stated.
