Padres fire Jayce Tingler after second-half collapse

The San Diego Padres are moving on from Jayce Tingler after the team collapsed in the second half. The Padres fired Tingler on Wednesday, though he may remain in the organization.

General manager A.J. Preller announced the move, saying the team felt "change was necessary at this time."

Tingler will no longer serve as the team's manager, where he put up a 116-106 record in two seasons, but he could stay with the Padres in another role. Tingler was offered "an opportunity to remain with the organization." The Padres' release does not state whether Tingler accepted that opportunity.

Padres collapse may have doomed Jayce Tingler

Firing Tingler seemed impossible two months ago. The Padres were 67-49 on Aug. 10, and held a five-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card spot in the National League. After leading the Padres to a surprising 37-23 record and playoff appearance in 2020, Tingler looked untouchable.

From there, things quickly went downhill. The Padres went just 12-34 over the last 46 games. The team plummeted out of playoff contention, and was officially eliminated Sept. 26.

Days before being eliminated, the Padres came under fire after Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis engaged in a heated confrontation in the team's dugout. Tingler's leadership came into question following the incident, with reports emerging he lost the clubhouse and could not effectively manage the personalities in the clubhouse.

Whoever steps into Tingler's role will face massive expectations from the team and its fans. The Padres have World Series aspirations after acquiring Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell last offseason. The team's next manager will be expected to lead the team on a deep postseason run in addition to fixing a broken clubhouse.

Given the immense potential on the roster, the Padres can't afford to make the wrong choice this time around.