Bruce Bochy agreed last night to become the new manager of the San Francisco Giants.

Sources said late Thursday night that San Diego Padres manager Bruce Bochy has agreed to a three-year contract to replace Felipe Alou and will be introduced as Giants manager at a press conference today. The deal is believed to be worth between $6 million and $7 million.

Bochy, 51, met with general manager Brian Sabean and others in the front office in San Francisco on Thursday and accepted an offer to manage the Giants and move north after 24 years with the Padres as a catcher, minor-league manager, major-league coach and, since 1995, major-league manager.

He was the second longest tenured manager behind Bobby Cox. Mark Sweeney, who played for both, describes the differences between Alou and Bochy:

Asked to compare Bochy to Alou, Sweeney said, "Felipe was a players' manager. He just wasn't a communicator like most players' managers are. There are just two different styles in communication. I think Bochy just has an understanding of how hard it was as a player just playing the game.

"With Bochy, everybody pretty much knows where he stands and he lets his coaches coach."

I wonder when Brian and Bruce will be heading for Sonoma?

During his twelve years at the helm, the Padres were about as middle of the road as you can imagine. Bochy's record with the team is 951-975. They made a trip to the World Series in 1998, and won division titles the last two seasons. His lineup selection is fine. He uses the stolen base well, and he doesn't bunt too much. In other words, you give Bochy talent and he's going to maximize that talent. It's just that the Padres haven't had that much during his tenure.

But they do have more talent than the Giants right now. A couple of more good acquisitions might put the Padres over the top, while the Giants are in a rebuilding mode. It makes you wonder if Bruce was really welcome in San Diego any more.