Padres' scouting director to interview with Dodgers
Highly regarded in industry, Gasparino hired by San Diego in September 2012
SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers received permission on Wednesday to interview Padres scouting director Billy Gasparino, a baseball source told MLB.com.
Gasparino, 37, is viewed in the industry as a rising star of sorts. His interview with the Dodgers could come as soon as Wednesday night.
Gasparino has presided over the Padres' past two First-Year Player Drafts, which included first-round picks Hunter Renfroe (2013) and Trea Turner this past year.
Gasparino was hired in September 2012 by former Padres general manager Josh Byrnes, who was dismissed by the team in June after 2 1/2 seasons.
Byrnes is expected to be hired for a front-office job with the Dodgers soon, possibly as a senior executive.
Gasparino makes his home in Venice Beach, Calif., and previously spent five years scouting Southern California for the Blue Jays before joining the Padres.
If Gasparino leaves, the Padres could fill the scouting director post internally, either from existing staff -- such as from their stable of cross checkers -- or possibly David Post, who was hired in September by first-year GM A.J. Preller as a special assistant to the GM, scouting.
There are more changes on the way and some that have already taken place.
When the 2015 season opens, the Padres' pro scouting department will look dramatically different than it did a year ago.
Not only will there be a new director -- Logan White was hired last week from the Dodgers -- but there will be at least two new scouts on the staff.
Two well-respected scouts, Chris Young and Joe Bochy, have already taken jobs with other teams since the end of the regular season. It was Bochy who recommended pitcher Mat Latos to the team in 2006 while scouting in Florida.
Young has been hired by the Astros, while Bochy, the brother of San Francisco manager and former San Diego skipper Bruce Bochy, has joined the Giants' pro scouting department.
Another pro scout, Jeff Pickler -- whom Byrnes hired in San Diego -- is rumored to likely be joining his former boss in Los Angeles as well.
A year ago, former Padres assistant GM A.J. Hinch presided over that department, among his other duties. Hinch was hired last month as manager of the Astros.