Padres Manager Pulled His Players To Screw With Everyone

With the MLB trade deadline tomorrow, fans are now on Early Exit Watch. Any player who leaves a game early will be considered to be involved in a trade, until proven otherwise. ( Yesterday, the opposite happened.) When Justin Upton and Matt Kemp prematurely left Wednesday’s Padres game, the buzz started, but interim manager Pat Murphy might have just been toying with everyone.

Murphy replaced Kemp with a double-switch in the sixth, and pulled Upton in the eighth after he struck out. Were the disappointing, fourth-place Padres turning into sellers months after they traded for practically everyone? Not yet.

That’s the fun of being an interim manager. If you can’t guarantee job security, mess with everyone while it’s still an option.

Photo: AP

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