The San Diego Padres spent major money to add Manny Machado last off-season, so they want to make sure they have everything set up perfectly for his 10-year tenure with them. And even before his first season with them came to an end, they decided a change had to be made for their team, and they made that change by firing manager Andy Green on Saturday. The now former Padres manager was in his fourth season with the team, all of which have been sub-.500 seasons. General manager A.J. Preller announced the move, as the Padres fell off in a major way in the second half of the season, culminated with an embarrassing 9-0 loss at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night.
The move came about 12 hours after that loss, as Rod Barajas will take over as the interim manager for the final eight games. Barajas is a former major league catcher and has served as the bench coach, and has also been a manager for the Padres at the Triple-A level. He actually managed a lot of the current Padres roster down there, and even won a Pacific Coast League Title with them. Unfortunately for him, his run as the interim manager began with a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The Padres knew it wasn't going to be instant World Series wins after giving Machado $300 million last winter, but they were 45-45 at the All-Star break, with hopes of contending for a Postseason spot. But after a forgettable second half of the season, they sit in second to last place in the NL West Division with a record of 69-86.
Green had gone 274-366 with the Padres, giving him a .428 winning percentage, which is the fourth-worst for any team in the majors in that span. Only the Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles have a worst win percentage. They lost 90 or more games in each of his first three seasons, and have already clinched their ninth consecutive losing season. They will miss the Postseason for a 13th straight year, and it's their offense that has failed to produce. They have scored just four runs per game with a batting average of .236 since 2016, so along with a managerial change, you can also expect more offensive help around their star.
The move came about 12 hours after that loss, as Rod Barajas will take over as the interim manager for the final eight games. Barajas is a former major league catcher and has served as the bench coach, and has also been a manager for the Padres at the Triple-A level. He actually managed a lot of the current Padres roster down there, and even won a Pacific Coast League Title with them. Unfortunately for him, his run as the interim manager began with a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The Padres knew it wasn't going to be instant World Series wins after giving Machado $300 million last winter, but they were 45-45 at the All-Star break, with hopes of contending for a Postseason spot. But after a forgettable second half of the season, they sit in second to last place in the NL West Division with a record of 69-86.
Green had gone 274-366 with the Padres, giving him a .428 winning percentage, which is the fourth-worst for any team in the majors in that span. Only the Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles have a worst win percentage. They lost 90 or more games in each of his first three seasons, and have already clinched their ninth consecutive losing season. They will miss the Postseason for a 13th straight year, and it's their offense that has failed to produce. They have scored just four runs per game with a batting average of .236 since 2016, so along with a managerial change, you can also expect more offensive help around their star.
