Longtime Red Sox Jason Varitek could end up as Padres manager

The Padres fired longtime manager Bud Black in mid-June of 2015, and appointed interim manager Pat Murphy in his place. Whoever is the next official Padres' manager -- whether it be Murphy or someone new -- will be first selected by general manager A.J. Preller as well as San Diego's ownership, given Black was hired back in 2007, three ownership groups and four general managers ago.

That next manager could very well end up being former Red Sox catcher and current Boston special assistant to the general manager, Jason Varitek. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reported on Sunday that there "is a feeling" Varitek could head west, as former Sox COO Mike Dee is now president of the Padres, and Varitek was a "favorite" of his. It was assumed years before Varitek ever took on any kind of off-field role, even while he was still playing, that managing could be in his future if he only wanted the gig.

That might be the sticking point, however: Cafardo also states that Varitek has avoided any kind of full-time role in the game since his retirement, as he preferred to spend time with his family. Maybe something major like a manager's position would change his mind, though, as that's far more responsibility and importance than a coaching or full-time scouting gig.

What we do know is that if Varitek accepts a position as the Padres' manager in the future, then he can no longer be the dream manager of many a Red Sox fan who always hoped he'd be the direct replacement for Terry Francona. Well, not until after his Padres' run, anyway, but either way, we're dealing entirely in the hypothetical realm here.

Varitek was drafted by the Mariners back in 1994, but played every inning of his 15-year major-league career with the Red Sox. At his peak, from 2003 through 2007, he batted .270/.361/.464 for a 111 OPS+ and high-quality defense behind the plate that helped lead the Red Sox to a pair of World Series championships.