Padres Block Mets From Interviewing Bench Coach Candidate With Buck Showalter Ties
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This former player-manager duo will not be reunited in New York.
The San Diego Padres denied the Mets permission to interview Ryan Flaherty for their bench coach vacancy, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Flaherty played for Mets manager Buck Showalter in Baltimore from 2012-2017. Flaherty, 35, is currently the quality control coach in San Diego, which means that the Mets would have been speaking with him about a promotion. Instead, the Padres shockingly denied Flaherty of the opportunity to be considered for a higher position as a bench coach candidate in New York.
While teams typically grant permission for their personnel under contract to interview for a promotion elsewhere, Rosenthal revealed that the Padres were worried about losing Flaherty at this stage in the offseason due to the lockout and with spring training a little over a month away.
After retiring from the big-leagues following the 2019 season, Flaherty joined the Padres in a scouting and coaching role shortly thereafter. He is one of the few assistants to remain with the team after they fired manager Jayce Tingler in October.
In addition to Flaherty being off the Mets' radar, Reds outfield/game planning coach Jeff Pickler bowed out of the running for bench coach as well, per The Athletic.
As Rosenthal went onto report, the San Francisco Giants also denied the Mets permission to speak with pitching coach Andrew Bailey about their bench coach vacancy. Mets general manager Billy Eppler gave Bailey his first coaching opportunity with the Los Angeles Angels back in 2019.
And according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets checked in on Andy Stankiewicz, who is Grand Canyon University's head coach. However, Stankiewicz, a former utility player for both the Yankees and Diamondbacks under Showalter, is content with his current position and will not pursue the Mets' bench coach opening.
As of this morning, Showalter's coaching staff includes Joey Cora (third base), Wayne Kirby (first base), Eric Chavez (hitting) and Jeremy Hefner (pitching). They are still in need of a bench coach, bullpen and assistant pitching and hitting coaches.
