"The 46-year-old Esposito is the first candidate known to have an interview in the books with the Padres, though the team may have already sat down with other internal candidates like pitching coach Ruben Niebla or special assistant Mark Loretta. As far as external candidates, Albert Pujols is set to interview with San Diego on Wednesday, as the future Hall-of-Famer continues to explore his first foray into managing at the MLB level."
"Esposito is technically a former teammate of Pujols, as one of Esposito's three career Major League games as a player came with the 2007 Cardinals. That cup of coffee in St. Louis and two games with the 2010 Astros comprised the big league portion of Esposito's 13-year playing career (2000-12) that was otherwise spent in the minors with seven different organizations."
The Padres have reached the interview stage for their managerial vacancy, and bench coach Brian Esposito interviewed Monday. Albert Pujols is scheduled to interview as an external candidate. Esposito played three Major League games during a 13-year playing career largely in the minors. He managed in the Pirates' system, including five years at Triple-A Indianapolis, then joined the Padres in 2022 and later served as catching coach and game strategy assistant on the 2023-24 big-league staff. Esposito was promoted to bench coach prior to last season. His status could be uncertain for 2026 because a new manager typically assembles his own staff and may favor longtime colleagues; internal candidates Ruben Niebla or Mark Loretta could affect his chances.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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