Padres’ bad finish costs manager job
The San Diego Padres fired Jayce Tingler, who presided over the biggest collapse in franchise history just a season after finishing second in voting for NL manager of the year.
General manager A.J. Preller announced the move Wednesday, three days after the Padres finished 79-83 and in third place in the NL West, 28 games behind San Francisco. Preller said Tingler will be given the opportunity to remain in the organization.
Tingler’s fate was sealed during a brutal freefall that saw the Padres go from a one-game lead for the NL’s second wild-card spot on Sept. 9 to being eliminated from playoff contention with seven games left. The Padres clinched their 10th losing record in 11 seasons.
Tingler, 116-106 in two seasons, had no previous managerial experience above rookie-level ball and stints in various Dominican leagues before being hired on Oct. 28, 2019, by Preller, a friend from their time together in the Texas Rangers organization.
Led by superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, and with a payroll of $175 million, the Padres entered this season with World Series aspirations and played with swagger until a number of problems surfaced during the second half, on the field and in the clubhouse.
Mets
Theo Epstein will not be coming to New York. Mets owner Steve Cohen and Epstein spoke and had a good conversation, but both agreed joining the
Mets front office was not the right opportunity for the longtime baseball executive who led the Red Sox and Cubs to three championships before transitioning to his current role as a consultant for MLB.
Indians
Manager Terry Francona, 62, is confident he’ll return next season after missing most of the past two because of serious health issues. Francona was forced to step away from the club in late July to undergo hip replacement surgery as well as a procedure on a big toe that was partially removed last winter after it became infected.
A two-time World Series winner with Boston, Francona has spent nine seasons with the Indians. He was sidelined for the majority of the abbreviated 2020 season with a gastrointestinal issue that led to him being hospitalized with blood clotting issues.
Francona has 723 wins with Cleveland and is five away from tying Lou Boudreau for the club record.
White Sox
First baseman Jose Abreu’s status for Game 1 of the American League Division Series is up in the air after battling flu-like symptoms in recent days. The White Sox said multiple tests confirmed the illness is not COVID-19-related. According to the team’s statement, Abreu is feeling better and his symptoms are improving. Abreu led Chicago with 30 home runs and 117 RBIs in the regular season.