In a somewhat stunning turn of events, it appears the San Diego Padres are going to need a new manager with incumbent Bob Melvin interviewing for the San Francisco Giants job. It would be an unexpected way to lose a manager, but the Padres seem willing to move on from Melvin after just two seasons.

With that being said, there are multiple candidates who have emerged as favorites to replace Melvin. Padres bench coach Ryan Flaherty and former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt are on the shortlist for the Padres, according to Bob Nightengale. Nightengale seems pretty convinced there will be an opening as well.

Shildt has been with the Padres for two seasons in a player development role. He briefly served as San Diego's third-base coach during the 2022 season. He previously spent parts of four seasons as manager of the Cardinals.

Flaherty would be a first-time manager at any level, though he did serve as acting manager for a couple of games in 2022 for the Padres. Flaherty played for three different teams across eight seasons, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles. He retired in 2019 and joined the Padres as a scout before becoming bench coach in 2023.

The Padres were expected to do big things this season and be one of the top dogs in the National League. Instead, they failed to make the playoffs and now look set to move on from a manager who was supposed to push them toward championship glory.

If Bob Melvin does indeed leave the Padres for the Giants, those games next season between the two NL West rivals will be appointment television.