Three teams entered the 2021 MLB offseason with managerial openings, and to this point, two have been filled.
The St. Louis Cardinals recently promoted bench coach Oliver Marmol to be their new skipper, and the San Diego Padres addressed their vacancy by reportedly hiring Bob Melvin after receiving permission from the Oakland Athletics to interview him.
The New York Mets at present are the only team without a manager. The club opted to remove Luis Rojas from the position following a disappointing third-place finish in the National League East and don’t appear to be moving closer to naming a successor.
Carlos Beltran, Buck Showalter and Ron Washington are among the candidates who have been linked to the Mets in recent weeks. A potential dark horse is former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who many believe would consider a return to the dugout — and likely with the Padres.
“Any team would be very fortunate to have him leading their club on the field. I think if it’s the right situation for Boch, he’ll consider it,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during the NL Division Series.
“So do I think he will? My guess is no. Just a hunch. This is just my guess. No one knows better than Boch, but that’s just an honest answer.”
Bochy, who will turn 67 next April, enjoyed a 25-year career that included managerial stints with the Padres and Giants before announcing his retirement after the 2019 season.
Bochy won three World Series titles with the Giants and presumably would only return if he has an opportunity to add a fourth to his resume.
While Roberts’ recent comments cast doubt that Bochy will manage again, he was more confident of the possibility in 2019.
Roberts bet with Bochy
Prior to the Dodgers having their streak of NL West titles snapped by the Giants, Roberts and Bochy bet on who would win the division. That of course went in Bochy’s favor, though Roberts then proposed a double-or-nothing scenario centered around the NL Division Series.
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