Jayce Tingler Officially Fired by Padres After Posting 79-83 Record in 2021

The San Diego Padres announced the firing of manager Jayce Tingler on Wednesday.

The move comes after San Diego fell well short of expectations by missing the playoffs and finishing with a losing record (79-83).

General manager A.J. Preller issued a statement on the decision:

"Jayce accomplished a great deal in his two seasons with the Padres, leading our team through an unprecedented pandemic and into the postseason for the first time in 15 years. I have tremendous respect for him as a coach, colleague and friend. After much thought and consideration over the last several weeks, we felt change was necessary at this time to ultimately reach our championship potential in San Diego."

Tingler's ouster was widely expected, with MLB Network's Jon Heyman reporting he was on the way out before the Padres finished up the regular season.

The 40-year-old may get another shot to manage an MLB team, and perhaps he'll find success elsewhere.

As San Diego collapsed over the second half of the year, it became apparent he wasn't a good fit there, though.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Eno Sarris detailed the internal dysfunction, which partially left Tingler at a disadvantage. He didn't, for example, have much input on his own coaching staff.

One former team employee told The Athletic that San Diego has "some deep-rooted cultural problems there."

"It’s not always inviting to people with different ideas, perspectives or backgrounds," the source said. "And it’s not all the fault of the people who are gone, either. It’s pervasive."

But Tingler's inexperience left him unequipped to right the ship as the Padres' season started going off the rails. The dugout argument between Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. may come to symbolize their 2021 campaign more than any other moment.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee wrote in September that "the sentiment Tingler was not the leader they needed or wanted has been growing in some corners of the clubhouse for a while."

Tingler may have been hamstrung from the moment he was hired in October 2019.

According to The Athletic, some inside the clubhouse were looking for the front office and ownership to hire a manager with "experience and cachet" after Andy Green's dismissal. Tingler checked neither of those boxes.

His existing relationship with Preller was also reportedly a point of concern, too, since some wondered about his level of distance and autonomy from the front office.

Considering their World Series ambitions won't be going anywhere in 2022, one would presume the Padres will target managers with proven track records in MLB to guide them into the future.

The big question is whether the issues outlined by The Athletic will hinder San Diego's search. Preller and the front office may have to amend their approach behind the scenes in order to lure a World Series-winning manager to Southern California.