MLB Rumors: Ozzie Guillen Interviews for Padres' Vacant Manager Position

Former Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen interviewed for the San Diego Padres' vacant managerial position, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Lin added that former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and former New York Mets manager Luis Rojas have also interviewed for the position.

Guillen would make sense for the Padres on a few levels.

Lin noted that "Guillen, a Venezuela native, might provide the kind of Latin American presence some team officials believe the Padres' coaching staff has lacked in recent years."

He added that Guillen is "familiar" with Manny Machado, who is Dominican American. 

And Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "one thing several sources have said is the team is looking for a strong Latin American influence on the coaching staff."

The 57-year-old would also bring both playing and managing experience to the position. The three-time All-Star was an MLB shortstop between 1985 and 2000 before transitioning to coaching. He spent eight seasons with the White Sox (2004-11), going 678-617 and leading the team to two postseason appearances, including a World Series title in 2005.

His tenure in Miami lasted just one year (2012), however, as the Marlins struggled and went just 69-93.

The Padres, meanwhile, were one of baseball's biggest disappointments after reaching the postseason last year, going just 79-83 in 2021. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has built a loaded roster around Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado, but the Padres seriously underachieved this past season.

The Padres get some slack, given they were in a division with the two best teams in baseball during the regular season, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. But the collection of talent they've amassed is too good to have anything close to a losing record. Getting that underachieving group back on track will be the new manager's primary task.