Chicago Cubs: Which first time manager will have the most success?

Chicago Cubs: Jayce Tingler

The 39-year-old Jayce Tingler takes over a San Diego Padres club looking to change its image in 2020, and that doesn’t end with the fact that the team is going back to brown as their primary color. After years of irrelevance – last making the playoffs in 2006 – the Padres appear primed to take a big step forward next year and possibly contend.

The team let Andy Green go after four seasons, as they were disappointed with the lack of progress under him. San Diego has one of the best farm systems in the game, with lots of talent arriving soon, but there’s already reason to be optimistic at the major league level. Shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. and pitcher Chris Paddack are among the exciting young players already to graduate to the majors.

This isn’t the first offseason that the Padres have been looking to make moves. In 2018, they brought in Eric Hosmer, while last year they brought in Manny Machado, in anticipation that they would be contending soon.

The Padres still have holes to fill, including in their outfield and pitching staff. They figure to be players in the free-agent market this offseason and have been in on big names such as Stephen Strasburg, while they have a deep enough farm system that they can make a trade or two to fill the gaps. They’ve already traded for Zach Davies and Trent Grisham from the Milwaukee Brewers while signing one of the biggest relief names on the market in Drew Pomeranz.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the class of the National League West, but with the rest of the division coming off a down year, now might be the time for the Padres to challenge the Dodgers. Even if it doesn’t happen this year, Tingler inherits what figures to be a bright future in San Diego.