Padres hire Andy Green as manager

The Padres will hire Diamondbacks third base coach Andy Green as their next manager, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. No official announcement has been made.

Green is a surprising hire for the Padres, who were thought as of Wednesday to be choosing between ex-Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield. San Diego also interviewed Phil Nevin, Alex Cora, Mark Kotsay, Tom Gordon and Moises Alou in their search for a new skipper.

Green, 38, also interviewed for the Nationals' managerial opening this fall, but Washington chose instead to hire ex-Padres manager Bud Black, who was fired in June. Green saw action as a major-league infielder in 140 games with the Diamondbacks (2004-2006) and Mets (2009) before retiring and going into coaching.

Green was the manager of the Double-A Mobile BayBears in 2013 and 2014, winning Southern League Manager of the Year in both seasons before being promoted to Arizona's major-league staff. He will become the second-youngest manager in the majors (behind Rays skipper Kevin Cash) and is just the second first-time major-league manager to be hired this fall, joining Scott Servais of the Mariners.