Benji Gil, one step away from becoming manager of the San Diego Padres

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.- The San Diego Padres are in the final stage of the search for their new manager and Mexican Benji Gil has taken several steps forward in the race to become the new helmsman.

Gil’s performance leading the Mexican National Team in the World Baseball Classic, his experience in the Major Leagues and his background in the San Diego – Tijuana community, have not passed by those in charge of the selection process who are already putting Gil as one of the strong cards.

The Padres announced the previous week that their former manager Bob Melvin had agreed with the San Francisco Giants, at which point A.J. Preller took on the task of beginning to recruit prospects for the position.

Among the finalists in the battle to manage the Padres, in addition to Benjamín Gil, are Phil Nevin, Ryan Flaherty and Mike Shildt, but none of them seem to cause great enthusiasm among fans and management.

The possibility that Benjamín Gil will be the chosen one is high and would give the Padres a new lease of life heading into the 2024 season, in which they are forced to get back on track after their failure in 2023.

Additionally, having a roster full of Latin players could fit Gil better than, as happened with Bob Melvin, who seemed to have some kind of idea different from that of the Padres’ great players.

Another issue that must be decided as soon as possible will be the continuity or not of Juan Soto, since the Padres continue to receive offers to exchange the player in exchange for several players, but the lack of a manager could complicate the change, since the opinion of who will direct The club’s destiny is very important.

Another issue is whether the new manager will be able to deal with A.J. Preller, whom many see as the man who really makes the decisions on the team, so he would look for a lower profile manager to bring a closer relationship to the one experienced with Melvin.

The next few hours will be key in the fate of the decision and in the possibility that Benjamín Gil, who has worked as a commentator in the World Series with Imagen Televisión de México, is or is not the next manager of the Padres.