The San Diego Padres spent big money last offseason to acquire legitimate talent, but, after a wildly disappointing season, it's clear the team was and still is missing a large piece.
That piece is leadership.
It was also clear at the beginning of the season that manager Bud Black was in over his head with his new group of players. Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and other big-name acquisitions failed to produce early, and Black suffered for it.
Black's tenure in San Diego ended after a 32-33 start to the year, for better or worse.
But that was then, and now it's time for the Padres to find their next leader. Ideally, it's a manager who can put the Padres' talent together correctly.
Make no mistake—there are more holes to fill for this organization than just at manager. But with interim manager Pat Murphy being let go after the season, finding his replacement is certainly at the top of the Padres' list.
As general manager A.J. Preller said in the video above from the Padres Social Hour, it's time for the Padres to finally find someone who can be trusted to lead this team for years to come.
San Francisco Giants bench coach Ron Wotus makes a lot of sense here. Not only would the Padres swipe a coach from an NL West rival, but they'd be getting someone with at least some managerial experience under his belt.
For seven seasons, Wotus was the manager in San Francisco's farm system. He ended his minor league coaching career with 554 wins and 412 losses. His minor league teams only missed the playoffs once in seven seasons.
Yes, those are minor league statistics, and no, they don't immediately make him a home-run candidate for the position. But his familiarity with the Giants and the rest of the West shouldn't be overlooked by Preller and the Padres.
As for other candidates, San Diego Union-Tribune Padres beat writer Dennis Lin recently wrote that current ESPN analyst Alex Cora is in line to be interviewed by the team:
It would be a mistake to hire Cora. Despite his solid career as a player that includes a 2007 World Series victory with the Boston Red Sox, Cora isn't the answer in San Diego.
The Padres' roster has talented players, such as the aforementioned Upton and Kemp, who aren't exactly in youthful stages of their respective careers. They want, and need, to win now. It's why Preller brought them to San Diego.
It's illogical to think Cora, whose only managerial experience comes from a Puerto Rican Winter League team, could step in and do a better job than someone like Wotus.
At the end of the day, this Padres team was underwhelming last season. Upton knows it, too:
And the only way the Padres are going to get better is by finding a manager who can lead them where they need to go—up.
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