As is always the case during the MLB offseason, there are several managerial vacancies right now. The Chicago Cubs are not among the teams that are seeking a new manager, as most agree that Craig Counsell has done a fine job running the team since becoming Chicago’s manager for the past two seasons, and he is therefore not on the hot seat.

However, that doesn’t mean Counsell’s coaching staff will remain the same. In fact, there seems to be a lot of interest around bench coach Ryan Flaherty potentially becoming a manager this offseason.

Flaherty became the Cubs’ bench coach in January 2024 and has remained in the role for the past two seasons. Before that, the former infielder (Flaherty played in MLB from 2012 to 2019 and hit .215 with 37 home runs in his career) spent several seasons working on the San Diego Padres’ coaching staff, including as a bench coach and a quality control coach.

Therefore, Flaherty (who spent the majority of his playing career with the Baltimore Orioles) still has connections to the Padres, including having a solid relationship with their GM, AJ Preller.

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While Flaherty has been linked to the Baltimore Orioles’ managerial vacancy in recent weeks, New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman suggested again that he’s more likely to end up in San Diego during an October 22 live stream with Bleacher Report.

After noting that the Padres will be interviewing MLB legend Albert Pujols for their managerial job, Heyman said, “San Diego, I think, I mean, AJ Preller wanted Ryan Flaherty last time, right? He has been a bench coach for the Padres, he’s a bench coach this year with the Cubs. [Flaherty] seems to be ready at this point, I think he should get [a managerial] job somewhere.”

While Heyman didn’t say this outright, his sentiment made it seem like Flaherty is more likely to join San Diego compared to Baltimore, but that both places are compelling options for him at this point.

Any time that a coach is getting poached and promoted by another team, that’s usually a sign that the team the coach was taken from is doing something right. And this would seem to be the case with Flaherty and Chicago, which is why fans should feel happy for him.

Fans will also want to keep an eye out on any updates regarding Flaherty’s future with the franchise.

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