The San Diego Padres moved on from manager Bob Melvin as he was hired by the San Francisco Giants to replace Gabe Kapler. As soon as that happened, internal candidates Ryan Flaherty and Mike Shildt emerged as the favorites for the job, and the Padres cast a wide net to interview other candidates as well.

Now, the Padres have reportedly narrowed it down to four candidates, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

‘The Padres are said to have 4 finalists for their managerial position: internal candidates Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty; and external candidates Benji Gil and Carlos Mendoza. ‘

The Padres recently interviewed Los Angeles Angels assistant Benji Gil, and then they brought in New York Yankees assistant Carlos Mendoza for an interview. So, those are the four candidates for the job, although the expectation all along has been that Shildt or Flaherty would be the choice.

The Padres missed out on the playoffs despite lofty expectations at the start of the 2023 season and Melvin's time as manager was shortlived. AJ Preller stated that Melvin would stick around for the 2024 season, but once the Giants requested permission to interview him, it made sense for both sides to move on and start over.

With a lot of question marks in free agency, including what to do with Blake Snell and whether or not to trade Juan Soto, the Padres have a difficult and important choice regarding the next manager.

The decision could come soon, and the next chapter of Padres baseball is right around the corner.