Padres relieve Jayce Tingler of managerial duties

The official announcement took longer than anticipated, but San Diego will officially have a new manager next year.

The Padres announced Wednesday that they have relieved Jayce Tingler of his managerial duties, bringing an official resolution to weeks of speculation about the second-year skipper’s future in San Diego. Like Mets manager Luis Rojas, who was relieved of his duties in the dugout on Monday, Tingler has been offered an opportunity to remain in the Padres organization in an unspecified role — a move that isn’t too surprising considering that he has a close relationship with GM A.J. Preller, dating back to their time together in the Rangers organization.

Tingler, 40, went 79-83 over two seasons (one of which was shortened to the COVID-19 pandemic) as the Padres’ manager. He was still regarded positively until July or so, as he led San Diego to a 37-23 record in 2020 and oversaw a club that went 53-40 in the first half this year. However, the Padres posted a disastrous 26-43 record in the second half — unacceptable for a club that added a ton of premium talent last offseason and was widely projected as a preseason World Series favorite. Tingler wound up being the scapegoat for the Padres’ epic collapse, and after striking out with a pair of first-time managers in Andy Green and Tingler, Preller is now likely to search for a manager with previous major league experience.