Ron Gardenhire And Dried Up Chances

Following a fourth straight 90 loss campaign, and 13 seasons as the skipper for the Minnesota Twins, Ron Gardenhire was given his walking papers at the end of the 2014 season. With a 1,068-1,039 record under his belt, the German born Gardenhire was sent searching for what was next.

In 2015, what was next was a well deserved (and probably needed) vacation. He made an appearance at Twins Spring Training (Gardenhire owns a home in Fort Myers), but outside of that, the former Twins manager remained out of the baseball picture. As the season drew on, and teams began to settle into positioning, his name surfaced in managerial discussions. First with the familiar AL Central Tigers, and then others, but nothing would happen.

Now as the offseason has gotten under full swing, Gardenhire's activity has picked up significantly. He was interviewed twice by both the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals. What transpired though, was that he was past up in both situations. After being considered the front-runner in San Diego, the Padres went with 38 year-old Andy Green. In Washington, after a contract debacle with Bud Black, the Nationals settled on Dusty Baker.

That again leaves Ron Gardenhire wondering what's next?

It's pretty apparent that the former Twins manager would like to regain that title somewhere in baseball. The problem is that the opportunities don't seem to be there for him. Passed over in the two situations that seemed most logical, there's simply nothing left. Gardenhire has not been given thought by the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite the club still having a vacancy. Right now, Gardy's best chance might take a bit of humbling.

Per multiple reports, Ron Gardenhire has been offered the bench coach position with the Padres. After being turned for the head of the clubhouse role, San Diego has asked the 58 year-old to play second fiddle to Green, 20 years his junior. In doing so, it may spell out exactly what has transpired for the once beloved Twins manager.

While Gardenhire no doubt stepped away from baseball for good reason following his Twins dismissal, I'm sure he didn't plan on this as his welcome back to the game. Having over 1,000 wins to his credit, taking the role of bench coach is quite a big step backwards. Regardless of the way his Twins tenure ended, he probably deserves better. At this point though, if he wants it, this may be a necessary evil.

Having been dealt the tough task of competing with a Twins team up a creek without a paddle, Gardenhire watched as his teams lost 90 plus games all too routinely. He seemed overmatched at times, and his management came under question at others. In the blink of an eye (or four years out of a 13 year career), it was those 90 loss seasons that wiped away the remembrance of six division titles.

As time goes on, things aren't going to get any easier for Gardenhire. While Dusty Baker was hired by the Nationals this season having been out of the game since 2013, that is more the outlier than the norm. Gardenhire needs to revive his value, and doing so with a young and innovative manager at the helm may be his best bet.

Right now, it's hard to see Ron Gardenhire getting another shot at managing in the big leagues. The youth movement and desire for analytics are working against him. His biggest asset is himself in this situation, but is he willing to take a step backwards in hopes of making the leap forward? Only time will tell.

Challenges Await Gardenhire Out West

Following the 2014 Major League Baseball season, Ron Gardenhire was removed from his duties as manager of the Minnesota Twins. Following a fourth straight 90 loss campaign, management decided a change was necessary. Paul Molitor was brought in, Gardy was given a humidor, and that was that. Over the course of this season though, it's became apparent Gardenhire has the itch again, and he may be back in the dugout as soon as 2016.

During the season, and while reports flooded from Detroit suggesting Brad Ausmus would be done at the end of the year, Gardenhire was named the likely candidate. Those rumors fizzled as quickly as they began, but the dream is not dead for the longtime Twins skipper. Yesterday, reports surfaced suggesting that Gardenhire would indeed interview with the San Diego Padres.

After spending a boatload of money this offseason, and multiple big splashes over the winter, the Padres faded hard. Owning just a 74-88 record while finishing fourth in the National League West, expectations were not met. The Padres were 18 games behind the division winning Dodgers, and their prized acquisitions generally fell flat.

Looking to revive a roster highlighted by the Upton brothers, Matt Kemp, Derek Norris, and Craig Kimbrel, A.J. Preller wants someone else in charge. At this point, Gardenhire is simply a candidate in the mix, but should things come to fruition, there's plenty to suggest he may be in over his head.

With the Twins, Gardenhire compiled a 1068-1039 record. He grabbed six American League Central division titles, and he pushed teams to win over 90 games five times in his 13 year career. It's what Gardenhire didn't do that has him looking suspect as a National League manager however.

It's easy to point at the 6-21 postseason record and the fact a Gardenhire team only advanced out of the first round once, but the problem runs deeper. Looking at the structure of the National League, the coaching ability of the former Twins manager may come under scrutiny. Never heralded as a great game manager, the intricacies of the double switch, bunt situations, bullpen management, and analytical understanding are all things Gardenhire will face as uphill battles.

With his track record, it's hard to suggest that Gardenhire wouldn't be a great managerial candidate for a team to seek out. What is easy to suggest though is that the team looking for Gardenhire's wisdom should come within the realm of the designated hitter, and the American League, where Gardenhire has already made his stamp.

Preller is no doubt wanting to turn his 2015 mess around, and while Ron Gardenhire is a great guy and a good manager, he's probably not the best fit in San Diego. Gardy should get back in the dugout, but unless he wants another stain on his career numbers to match his postseason record, steering clear of the National League is a must.

Gardy The Great Flipping Sides

It was inevitable right? I mean after all, how long could the 57 year-old Gardenhire sit down in Florida puffing on stogies? Eventually, the former Minnesota Twins manager was going to find a new job, and it would be much to the chagrin of Twins Territory. What might have been unexpected is that said new job would come within the AL Central and have Gardy staring into the Twins dugout from the other side.

That scenario looks very much like it will come to fruition at this point.

It was reported by the Detroit Free Press this morning that Detroit Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus was managing his final few games. Compiling a 143-127 record across just under two seasons, Ausmus has drawn the ire of Tigers owner Mike Illitch. The Little Caesar's entrepreneurial mogul has decided that former team President Dave Dombrowski isn't the only one needing to go in 2015. Ausmus is set to be relieved of his duties following the season.

With the managerial opening for the Tigers being announced this morning, information has been relatively fluid. One of the first names brought up as a potential successor was Gardenhire's. Then reports began to surface that the former Twins skipper was not only the front-runner, but likely the already decided upon choice.

Gardenhire took the 2015 season off after being replaced by Paul Molitor following the end of a fourth straight 90 loss season in 2014. Despite showing up at Twins spring training this season, Gardenhire has laid low and flown under the radar. Linked to the Miami Marlins job following the firing of Mike Redmond, Gardenhire stayed put. Now with the American League opening presented to him, and in the Central division nonetheless, it may be time to return to the dugout.

There was never any doubt that Gardenhire would once again manage, but a National League team always seemed to be an odd connection. The Marlins job was never one coveted by many (the franchise is notably poorly run), and Gardenhire may be in over his head. Managing for 13 years in the American League, a guy not known as an innovator would have to adjust to a completely different game in the NL.

Should he become the Tigers eventual choice, the fit would seem to make a lot of sense. Gardenhire has compiled a 1068-1039 record across 13 years in the AL Central. Of the major league franchises, the Tigers would be one of the few Gardenhire would find himself relatively familiar with. Detroit also is not far from his roots established in Minnesota and would provide another layer of comfort when getting back into the business.

The biggest question may be in regards to what Illitch and the Tigers believe they are getting in the longtime Twins manager. Ausmus is no doubt being fired for failed expectations. Given premium pieces to make World Series runs, he is 0-3 in his lone postseason appearance, and will miss them in 2015. While given a less than impressive bullpen a season ago, Ausmus no doubt did less with more. What's curious, is that the same could be said about Ron Gardenhire.

Despite a 2010 Manager of the Year award, and six AL Central Division titles (compared to just four for the Tigers in his tenure), Gardenhire's playoff ability has plenty of unanswered questions. The Twins advanced to the ALCS just once under Gardenhire (losing 4-1 to the Angels), and were swept three times in the ALDS (twice by the Yankees, and once by the Athletics). As a whole, Gardenhire's playoff record stands at just 6-21 (good enough for a .222 win percentage). Added up, it would appear the Tigers may be fixing a question with somewhat of another one.

Manager's are somewhat of a fickle beast, and we've seen that this season more than ever. Matt Williams, the Washington Nationals manager with just 2014 as his previous experience, has fallen flat on his face. Williams took a star-studded team and effectively ended their playoff hopes with his own inability. Then there's Dan Jennings (who took over in Miami for Redmond), coming in having never managed or played at any level, who's compiled a 39-57 record (or virtually the same as his predecessor in Redmond). What we have learned over the course of 2015 is that often, major league franchises perception of managers becomes reality.

If Illitch and the Tigers do intend on hiring Ron Gardenhire to take over in 2016, it will be because their perception trumps documented reality. Gardenhire is a very good manager, but he's had many of the same shortcomings (albeit in a larger dose) than Ausmus. Detroit has changed their culture to be deep playoff runs or bust, and Gardenhire could get them there, but he also couldn't. If the Tigers don't address their lackluster farm, poor relief help, and spending habits, it won't matter who's in the dugout.

Ron Gardenhire deserves another chance at managing. It's going to be odd for Twins fans to see it come in Detroit. He could succeed there, but it may not have much to do with his own accord.