Padres Looked Into Bringing Back Former Manager Before Hiring Bob Melvin

The San Diego Padres find themselves on the hunt for a new manager after they let former skipper Bob Melvin walk out the door to join the division rival San Francisco Giants. San Diego is coming off a frustrating season that saw them miss the postseason, despite having one of the better offseasons in recent memory.

With the World Series now over, the search really begins for the Padres. But that hasn’t stopped old stories from coming out in regard to the Padres search to fill the role just two years ago.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has been all over the news since the Rangers won the World Series, and he has cemented an already legendary managing career. Bochy won three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants in the early 2010s and has been seen as one of the best in the league.

He took some time off after the 2019 season, only for the Rangers to call him last offseason to return. Bouchy did just that and now has four World Series wins to his name.

But prior to him coming out of retirement for Texas, Padres Vice Chairman Ron Fowler heavily pushed for the team to bring Bouchy back to San Diego for the 2022 season. He managed the Padres back in the 1990s and helped bring the team to their second World Series appearance in 1998.

“Ron Fowler wanted Bruce Bochy very, very badly,” Bochy’s agent, Tony Attanasio, said Wednesday.

Per Tony Attansio via The San Diego Union-Tribune

The team ultimately went with Melvin, but if Bouchy had returned to San Diego, maybe the last few years for the Padres would have turned out differently. Bouchy is known for his ability to get the best out of his players, and he is one of the better baseball minds in the game today.

“Tony knew that I could only make a recommendation to the Padres as I no longer had a management role; and I did strongly recommend to A.J. and Peter, in separate calls, that they interview ‘Boch.’ Don’t believe they ever contacted him. And, as they say, the rest is history.”

Per Ron Fowler via The San Diego Union-Tribune

We will never know what could have come from this team if Bouchy had returned, but maybe the Friars would have won their first-ever title. The talent level of the Padres, combined with the managing skills of Bouchy would have been awesome to see. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.