Jed Hoyer Likely to Be Next Padres GM

One of Major League Baseball's two general manager vacancies could be filled in the next few days. The Padres appear poised to hire Red Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer to replace long-time GM Kevin Towers, who was fired at the beginning of October, according to multiple outlets including the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Hoyer has been a bit of a hot property for awhile now, having interviewed for GM positions with the Pirates and Nationals in recent years, but this won't be his first general managing job.

He and Ben Cherington were named co-GMs of the Red Sox in the winter of 2006 during Theo Epstein's brief hiatus from his post running the club, and most famously helped orchestrate the deal that brought Josh Beckett to Boston.

While San Diego is not expected to make an announcement immediately, one could come in the next few days.

"We're still working on it," CEO Jeff Moorad told the Union-Tribune via e-mail Wednesday night. "We have a couple follow-up discussions scheduled for (Thursday), then are likely to move toward a decision."

Moorad took partial control of the Padres this year, agreeing to purchase the club in full from John Moores within five years, and though San Diego suffered through its second straight losing season and is cash-strapped because of Moores' ongoing divorce, the club showed promise by going 37-25 in its final 62 games.

That promise made it all the more surprising when Towers, highly respected in the industry and, at the time, the longest-tenured GM with one team, was forced out.

Hoyer is the second Epstein disciple to take the reins of a major league club, with current Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes -- also hired by Moorad, who was with Arizona at the time -- being the first.

The Red Sox front office is one of the most highly regarded in the game. While the team has deep coffers, it is also known for its creative and methodical approach to building an organization. Hoyer will not have limitless resources at his disposal in San Diego, so he will have to be especially ingenious to turn the Padres into a winner again.