Report: Ron Washington the frontrunner for Padres manager job

Ron Washington has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the San Diego Padres manager job this offseason, and it sounds like the team’s interest in him is much more than just due diligence.

Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com reports that Washington is a finalist for the Padres job, and people around Major League Baseball believe he is the frontrunner. Washington and Jayce Tingler, who has been with the Texas Rangers organization for several years, are said to be the finalists. However, Morosi reports that the Padres likely prefer a candidate with previous MLB managerial experience, so Washington could have the edge.

Washington has been a third base coach with the Atlanta Braves for the past three seasons, but he managed the Rangers from 2007-2014. Padres general manager AJ Preller was with the Rangers when both Washington and Tingler were there.

Former Padres manager Andy Green had no previous MLB managing experience, and the club fired him last month. He never won more than 71 games in a season in his four years at the helm in San Diego.

One candidate that could complicate the Padres’ search is Bruce Bochy, according to Morosi. Bochy, who managed in San Diego from 1995-2006 before he went on to win three World Series with the San Francisco Giants, has not completely shut the door on managing next season despite retiring from his post with the Giants. It seems unlikely that he would return that quickly after the way he left San Francisco, however.

Washington had a regular season record of 664-611 during his time with the Rangers. He was 18-16 in the postseason and took the team to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. Texas lost both times.