Preller: Padres won't rush manager search
SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Padres handpicked A.J. Preller as general manager in August 2014, they did so without fear of another team swooping in and hiring away the candidate they coveted.
No other team was in the market for the general manager at the time.
When the Padres get around to filling their managerial position, they won't be as fortunate.
Whether the Padres decide to hang onto interim manager Pat Murphy or opt to go in another direction for a manager for 2016, they'll be facing competition and likely quite a bit of it.
The number of teams that could see managerial changes this offseason might hit double digits, like the Tigers, who, according to an unconfirmed report, will dismiss Brad Ausmus after the season.
Ausmus, who makes his home in Del Mar, worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from 2011-13. He would figure to get an interview for the job in San Diego.
As for the Padres, Preller said Friday before the Padres' 9-1 loss in the series opener at AT&T Park in San Francisco, that the organization won't rush to fill the manager position because of the high volume of teams that could be looking for a new manager.
"It's an important decision for us," Preller said. "We just want to make sure we make a good call and we don't feel pressure from what's going on in the industry or anything like that.
"We'll get to a spot where we're comfortable making a good decision and we will make a good hire."
One thing is for certain, though: There won't be any decisions made before now and the end of the regular season, which is Oct. 4. Murphy took over for Bud Black, who was dismissed on June 15, and has a 35-41 record as interim manager after Friday's game.
"Like we said all along, we've made a commitment to the end of the year. At the end of the year, we're going to have a decision of which direction we're going to go in," Preller said.
During the hiring process that led to Preller, president/CEO Mike Dee, executive chairman Ron Fowler and investor Peter Seidler interviewed eight candidates over 15 days, and Fowler estimated they put in over 200 hours on interviews.
What is Preller looking for in a manager? If he has a type he wouldn't say Friday. Instead, he insists he's open-minded to all types of candidates, those who have varying backgrounds and experience levels.
"I think it's all in the individual," he said. "If you study managers who have had success over the last 10, 15 years, they come from all different backgrounds. We're not going to look at it as if we need a guy that comes from a certain background or profile or anything like that.
"It will be more so a situation where you're looking for the best guy."