Padres managerial search makes Dodgers hectic offseason easier to cope with

There's no doubt the Los Angeles Dodgers have a hectic offseason ahead of them. There's going to be a lot of roster turnover once again and they need to crack the code for their eternal playoff woes. It'll be another few months of soul searching.

But, as fans frequently learn in the baseball landscape, it could always be worse. Take the San Diego Padres, for example. The Dodgers' division rival was a consensus World Series favorite heading into 2023 and ended up finishing below .500 as arguably the most disappointing team in the sport.

Not only that, but they pretty much fired manager Bob Melvin, who is objectively one of the best in the game. Not only that, but they let him waltz right over to the San Francisco Giants, another team stuck in the mud in need of a potential bailout.

The Pads have some roster concerns of their own, too. Blake Snell and Josh Hader and probably gone once free agency kicks off. Reports have suggested the team needs to shed $50 million off the payroll, which has everybody looking toward a Juan Soto trade (he'll be making $30 million in 2024).

Perhaps the most important question, however, is who will manage this team that has seemingly experienced so many chemistry issues over the last three seasons? The answer? Unconvincing names who probably can't handle the job!

Padres managerial search makes Dodgers hectic offseason easier to cope with

Phil Nevin, Benji Gil and Eric Chavez are reportedly under consideration for the Padres' managerial gig, which, and feel free to clip this later if we're wrong, is a terrible start for an organization in turmoil looking to stabilize a clubhouse.

Nevin just got let go by the Angels, where he was 119-149 as a manager since taking over after Joe Maddon was fired. He's not necessarily a bad candidate, but he just failed with a team that has been lacking direction for over a decade. How will he be better than somebody like Melvin?

Chavez? He's been with the Mets since 2022. He served as the hitting coach that year and was transitioned to bench coach in 2023 before the coaching staff was dismissed after a horrific season in Queens. And that's the extent of his coaching experience.

The best and most suitable candidate here is Gil, who managed Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic to an impressive third-place finish. He also managed them in the 2020 Summer Olympics where they lost to Israel, Japan and the Dominican Republic. He spent the last two years on the Angels' staff, though, and there are no positives to pull from that.

So, Dodgers fans, the next time you want to complain about Dave Roberts or the team's lack of fire in October, look a little bit south where the Padres are constantly taking one step forward and two steps back. LA has problems of its own, but San Diego's volatility is exponentially worse and 100 times more stressful as a viewer.