Here's Why The Padres Blocked The Mets From Talking To Coach

 

In an odd twist, the San Diego Padres denied the New York Mets permission to talk to one of their coaches, Ryan Flaherty. The bench coach position the Mets wanted to interview him about would have been a step up, and teams rarely block staff from interviewing for promotions elsewhere. 

But the Padres are in a difficult situation right now. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reports that sources say the Padres couldn't risk losing him "at this late stage of the offseason." Plus, the 35-year-old Flaherty is one of only two returning coaches for the Padres this season, and, according to Rosenthal, they "value him highly", and gave him a three-year contract back in October. 

The Mets, of course, have gotten a late start on securing their non-playing personnel for 2022, as GM Billy Eppler wasn't hired until November 18th, less than two weeks before the work stoppage. Of course, he made the most of that period in player acquisitions, plugging many a hole for the Mets in signing outfielders Starling Marte, Mark Canha, infielder Eduardo Escobar, and of course, ace starter Max Scherzer. 

The "bench coach", as Rosenthal notes, is generally the manager's right-hand man in the dugout, so this would have been a promotion for Flaherty, though he was only one of many candidates the Mets are interested in interviewing.  

Flaherty played under new Mets manager Buck Showalter for several years in Baltimore, so was considered a strong candidate. 

The Mets, meanwhile, do have other coaches they're planning to hire, including Joey Cora (3B coach), Wayne Kirby (1B coach), and Eric Chavez as hitting coach. 

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