San Diego chooses not to retain interim manager Pat Murphy

San Diego general manager A.J. Preller didn't wait long after Sunday's season-ending loss to the Dodgers to inform interim manager Pat Murphy that he wasn't being retained as manager for the 2016 season and beyond.

The Padres are now looking for a new manager for the first time since 2006 when Bud Black replaced Bruce Bochy. The padres fired Black earlier this year and Murphy took over after Dave Roberts managed the team for one game.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported former player Phil Nevin has emerged as a candidate.

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Murphy finished with a 42-54 record as the Padres struggled to a third-place finish in the National League West (74-88) ahead of only the Colorado Rockies, who lost 94 games.

Competing in the NL West is difficult as both the Padres and Rockies know all too well. Los Angeles has won three consecutive division titles with its huge payroll and the San Francisco Giants have won three of the past five World Series.

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Former Texas manager Ron Washington, Padres hitting coach Mark Kotsay, Ron Gardenhire, Sandy Alomar Jr., Alex Cora and Joey Corat are others being mentioned as candidates for the San Diego job.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo