#albert-pujols

#albert-pujols

Yesterday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres were entering the finalist stages of their managerial search. In a new report today, Acee writes that the Padres are down "to no more than four finalists," with Albert Pujols, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley, and potentially an unspecified fourth name still on the radar. A hiring is expected to be made by the end of the week.

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.

Alex Rodriguez, with 696 home runs, was a dominant force in MLB, playing from 1994-2016 and highlighted by his role in the Yankees' 2009 World Series win.