Ryan Flaherty opens as betting favorite for next Padres manager after Bob Melvin’s Giants departure

The San Diego Padres are headed back to the drawing board at manager after Bob Melvin's surprising departure to the San Francisco Giants. But as the Padres begin their search for their next manager, one name has already risen to the top.

Ryan Flaherty is the favorite to become San Diego's next manager at +500 odds, via betonline.ag. Mike Shildt comes in at a close second with +600 odds. Dusty Baker (+700), Ruben Niebla (+800) and Joe Espada (+900) round out the top five.

Flaherty served as the Padres bench coach this season after previously working as an advanced scout and development coach for the team. Flaherty even served as the Padres acting manager when Bob Melvin came down with CO-VID19. As San Diego looks for their next manager, it appears that they want to go with someone in house.

Perhaps that philosophy is due to how Bob Melvin left the organization. The manager bounced from the fleeting Oakland Athletics to join the Padres in 2022. He then stayed for just two years before dipping to San Francisco. The Padres may be looking for a manager with deeper ties to the organization.

While Ryan Flaherty doesn't have much managerial experience, he did play in MLB from 2012-2019. Working under Melvin, he understands how the Padres operate. It may not be a seamless transition, but promoting your bench coach to manager is a self-explanatory rise.

The Padres were put with their backs against the wall with Melvin deciding to leave for the Giants. Scrambling to find his replacement, Flaherty seems to have the eye of San Diego's front office.