Jayce Tingler Reportedly Won't Return as Padres Manager After Missing Playoffs

The San Diego Padres will reportedly fire manager Jayce Tingler after falling short of expectations by missing the 2021 MLB playoffs.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the news Saturday ahead of the Padres' second-to-last game of the season.

The 40-year-old helped guide San Diego to the postseason during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the franchise's first taste of playoff baseball since 2006.

But that achievement provided little in the way of job security because ownership and the front office made it clear that more would be required this year.

Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension, eliminating any doubt regarding his long-term future with the team. The size of the deal was also a sign of intent for an organization looking to gain a foothold in its home city.

General manager A.J. Preller demonstrated his typical aggressiveness in acquiring Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Keone Kela and Ha-Seong Kim during the offseason.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers were still widely favored to win the National League West, they appeared to have genuine competition in the form of the Padres.

The two teams met for a three-game series in mid-April, and it had a playoff feel as the first game went to 12 innings and the second ended 2-0.

When San Diego and L.A. met again four days later at Dodger Stadium for a four-game set, the Padres won three and Tatis mashed five home runs.

It looked like a battle for the West was on.

But the Dodgers' in-state competition didn't come from the south. The San Francisco Giants clinched a playoff spot Sept. 13 and led the NL West by two games with two games to play.

The Padres, on the other hand, were eliminated from postseason contention with a 10-8 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 25.

"We did not reach our goal this year," third baseman Manny Machado said. "We're going to come back next year hungrier. ... We fell short. That's all that matters, and we're all down about it. We were expecting something. It didn't happen."

Blaming what went wrong on Tingler would be misguided.

Tatis had shoulder problems all season. Snell, Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet missed time. The catcher position was a black hole, as both Luis Campusano and Victor Caratini finished with negative WAR, per FanGraphs.

The Athletic's Dennis Lin called it "the most disappointing season in team history."

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild was axed in August. San Diego let go of farm director Sam Geaney with his contract due to expire and reassigned scouting director Mark Conner. That led many to wonder whether Tingler would be next.

While quickly quashed, the dugout argument between Machado and Tatis summed up a period in which the Padres' season went off the rails. The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee reported it was also emblematic of "one of the Padres' most pressing issues":

"Multiple people inside the organization said the situation with Tatis has been building for weeks, as the 22-year-old has grown increasingly frustrated with the team's postseason chances slipping away and his being unable to lift the Padres on his shoulders. He was talked to by a veteran player about his brooding on at least one occasion before Saturday."

"There are differences of opinion among some of the team's on-field personnel. But one thing virtually everyone agreed on in the hours after Saturday's mini-brouhaha was that it was the culmination of an issue a stronger manager would have taken care of weeks ago."

Acee also noted Tingler's close relationship with Preller led some players to question whether the line between the manager and the front office had become too blurred.

Experience isn't a prerequisite for success for MLB managers. Dave Martinez in his second season guided the Washington Nationals to their first World Series title in 2019. Alex Cora collected a title in his first year with the Boston Red Sox in 2018. Dave Roberts has three National League pennants and a World Series ring through five full seasons. Given the way the Tingler era unfolded, though, the Padres may target candidates who are familiar with the pressure that comes with guiding a championship contender.