Bruce Bochy won't manage in 2020, but open-minded about future

Marc Lancaster

Bruce Bochy won't manage in 2020, but open-minded about future image

Bruce Bochy's retirement from managing may not end up being permanent, but he'll take at least one year off. 

Bochy has rebuffed interest in him from "several" teams, and plans to spend the 2020 season as a special assistant with the Giants before weighing a 2021 return, USA Today reported Friday. 

The report said the Padres even offered Bochy a job. He managed in San Diego from 1995-2006 before moving north to spend the last 13 seasons leading the Giants. 

Bochy, 64, announced at the beginning of spring training that he planned to retire at the end of the 2019 season. Though San Francisco went 77-85 and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, Bochy remains one of the most respected leaders in the game. It's no surprise a few teams at least thought it was worth a shot to try and get him to reconsider.

Seven teams are still looking for a manager after the Angels were the first to fill their vacancy this offseason by hiring Joe Maddon this week. 

Whether he eventually returns to the dugout or not, Bochy likely already has secured his place in Cooperstown. He is one of 10 MLB managers to win at least three World Series titles and the other nine are in the Hall of Fame. He also sits 11th all-time with 2,003 wins, and everyone else in the top 12 besides him has been inducted. 

Marc Lancaster

Marc Lancaster Photo

Marc Lancaster joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working closely with TSN for five years as an editor for the company now known as Stats Perform. He previously worked as an editor at The Washington Times, AOL’s FanHouse.com and the old CNNSportsIllustrated.com, and as a beat writer covering the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and University of Georgia football and women’s basketball. A Georgia graduate, he has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2013.