In a surprising move, Padres manager Mike Shildt has announced he is stepping down from that role, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego-Union Tribune. The decision was Shildt’s, Acee adds. He has managed the club for two years and had two years remaining on his contract.
“The grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally,” Shildt wrote in a letter to the Union-Tribune. “While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my own terms.” He went on to thank the Padres organization, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, and the players for his time with the team and wished them future success. In a statement released by the team, Preller said of Shildt, “His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Shildt, 57, has led the Padres to a 183-141 (.565) record since the start of 2024. The club made the postseason in both of those years, reaching the National League Division Series in 2024 and the Wild Card Series this year. In that time, the team has gotten strong performances out of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jake Cronenworth among others, while also seeing the emergence of Jackson Merrill. The club is tied for seventh-best in the league with a 107 wRC+ in that time. Pitching-wise, the team ranks fifth in the majors with a 3.75 ERA and seventh with a 15.7% K-BB rate since the start of 2024. That success includes strong performances from starters Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Nick Pivetta, along with relievers Adrian Morejon and Robert Suarez. If not for the perennially excellent Dodgers, the Padres may have had a shot at first place in the NL West in those two years. Even then, it is hard to consider Shildt’s tenure with San Diego as anything other than a success.
Prior to managing the Padres, Shildt held various roles in the Cardinals organization, acting as quality control coach and third base coach in 2017 and bench coach in 2018. He was named the interim manager upon the firing of Mike Matheny in July 2018 and became the permanent manager in August of that year. He held that post through the 2021 season before departing the organization due to what were described at the time as “philosophical differences.” Shildt was hired by San Diego in a player development role in January 2022 and became the manager in November 2023 following Bob Melvin’s departure for the Giants. In all, he has posted a 435-340 (.561) record in parts of six seasons as a big-league manager and has twice finished in the top two for the NL Manager of the Year Award, winning it in 2019 with the Cardinals and finishing as the runner-up last year with the Padres.
Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Shildt is not necessarily retiring from baseball altogether. Rather, he is simply not looking to continue managing in the immediate future. When asked about the possibility, Shildt said, “Not at the moment. I need a break and take care of myself.” That’s not a definitive declaration that he’ll return to the dugout at some point, but Shildt left the door open for potential future opportunities. A return under those conditions would hardly be unprecedented; we’ve recently seen both Bruce Bochy and Terry Francona return to big league dugouts at older ages than Shildt.
With the Padres now looking for a new skipper, a staggering 10 out of 30 teams will enter 2026 with a different manager than the one with which they opened the 2025 season. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller thanked Shildt for his “significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years” in a press release this morning and added that the search for a new manager will begin immediately.
Didn’t see that coming. Maybe he wants SF
According to the Instagram post, he’s retiring.
He may need a couple years away to recharge, much like Tito. Wish him well, whatever happens.
Report in The Athletic that Schildt was getting death threats from sports bettors.
Not cool.
He said he isn’t retiring, he’s taking some time off from baseball.
From the Padres, not from baseball. Last I checked they were not one in the same.
Maybe a semi-retirement to enjoy family time (and golf).
Reading his statement it seems that he is retiring from baseball for now. He doesn’t rule out returning in some position in the future, but for now he is retired.
He probably just needed to get a new set of tires for his car. I knew we’d solve this one eventually.
“my retirement from managing the San Diego Padres”.
You seem to have comviently cur that quote off short….
IMVHO, if I were leaving a company for another company, I’d say I was resigning. If I intended on never working again, then I am retiring.
That said, there is almost no distinction between the two.
this is all so intense, which camp should I retire into. perhaps a camping tent. That would also be in tents.
Best sign I have ever seen in an outdoor store: “This is the winter of our discount tents.”
now that’s funny compared to my platetudes which are way off-base, moundane and generally ambaguous. as Toeknee Gwynn once said, what do you call a guy with a toe on his knee?
If I can afford to retire at 57, I guarantee I will. Perhaps he’ll take a part-time job where he goes to Spring Training and makes one or two trips to each minor league town during the season.
This site could def use more Richard III/Shakespeare reffies. Was ever manager in this humor wooed? Was ever manager in this humor won?
Don’t tread on me.
A reputation you can ride on – Big O Tires.
Alas, poor Schildt, I knew him,
“Fair is foul and foul is fair.” (Macbeth)
Do you not understand what retirement means?
Bruce Bochy?
Yes, which is why we understand that he didn’t use that word except to say that he is not retiring.
Literally, from the Padres. Literally, not from baseball.
He’ll probably comeback after he resets for a year or two. Feels like guys like him become even more desirable sitting at home for a few years.
He’ll probably be back somewhere
This is my interpretation. We can’t know anything about conversations taking place in the clubhouse and corporate offices, but we should know that when a team underperforms expectations, upper management always lays the blame on the guy with the number on his back. This probably isn’t Shildt’s last managing assignment.
Underperform? The Pads were projected to win 84 games in 2025.
Schildt managed them to their only consecutive 90+ win seasons. Hard to underperform when you’re making team history.
Not sure which projection you looked at, but I recall PECOTA pegging them at around 95 wins at the start of the season. And the expectations that matter to the manager are the ones coming from the front office. The quick postseason exit I am certain was not the front office expectation, particularly when they were so aggressive at the trade deadline.
Preseason
PECOTA had Padres at 82-80
ESPN: 84-78
espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44328603/mlb-2025-season-p…
The money:
BetMGM: 85.5 wins
Covers.com: 85.5 wins
Action Network: 85.5 wins
Neil Paine (Substack): 85.5 wins
VSiN: 85.5 wins
I wish it was possible to recreate PECOTA from earlier in the season. I distinctly remember it starting with the Dodgers projected for around 105 wins and the next team behind them was the Padres, at around 10 back.
I recall seen Fangraphs peg them at 84-85 wins which many Padres fans thought was very low. That was before Pivetta but he was probably projected for 2-3 wins at the start of the season.
He is under contract with the Padres so he won’t be working elsewhere until 2028 at the earliest. He said he was retiring from baseball.
Blue likes to argue even when someone shows he is wrong.
March preseason PECOTA had Padres at 82-80, that was after they signed Pivetta (who at the time wasn’t seen as a big deal). At no point were the Padres projected to win 95 and most fans I know (me included) sure didn’t see it.. If you find that reference do share.
Pecota had the Padres at 82-80.
Subscribe to Baseball Prospectus. Its available in articles that are behind a paywall.
yeah I just found a reddit post about the 2025 Fangraphs projected standings and a Padres fan there said “11 wins worse than 2024” so this tracks. I personally don’t ever recall seeing them projected for close to 95 wins.
East Coast Rating Services that don’t do their homework consistently underrate the Padres, their farm system, their players, their prospects, their manager their POB etc…
They have been consistently wrong!
I very much like Blueskies and he’s usually spot on, just not this time. It’s probably true that the Padres actually had a better team than was projected by the common sources. But credit to Shildt (and Preller) for exceeding those outside expectations. I’m sure they would have preferred a WS though.
Brew, some people do like their bickering and insulting, even if it’s over something as simple as remembering something differently. I appreciate you for not being that person.
Anyway, next year I am going to try to remember to screenshot the PECOTA standings at the beginning of the season. A subscription to BP provides access to their archives, but it isn’t clear if this includes historical PECOTA.
He retired from managing the club, so they aren’t paying him, or responsible for the remainder of his contract as their manager.
He said he might pick up a non managing job, but the Padres aren’t on the hook. They didn’t fire him.
“Literally, from the Padres. Literally, not from baseball.”
That’s called resigning, not retiring.
If you think he’s just wanting to leave the Padres, fine, but don’t say “he isn’t retiring” when the man himself said “I am retiring.” Literally.
I suspect he got some parting gifts. If the relationship between himself and Preller had deteriorated to the point where the Padres were contemplating a firing, they may well have agreed to pay him some part of his current contract to ease him out the door. Nobody is saying, which in itself is a tell. Not that any of this should matter to fans.
yup, like you I’m just interested in baseball news and info and try my best not to get drawn into the petty interpersonal bickering. I actually didn’t know what the preseason projections were myself, but your comment got me looking into it and I appreciate that.
Pecota had them winning 82 games and missing the playoffs.
mlb.com/news/2025-pecota-standings-projections-key…
@SportsFanoooo. NCAA basketball is even worse. Did you notice the preseason rankings out today that failed to even rank this year’s powerhouse SDSU Aztecs basketball? They should be top 15 easily.
Just a point of order here: PECOTA doesn’t predict “missing the playoffs” unless their calculated probability of reaching them is zero. This is the case for only a few teams at the start of the season.
Padres were predicted to place 3rd and miss the playoffs.
Aztecs football team is looking very good also and should be ranked.
See how they handled Cal 34-0!?
The 2025 San Diego State Aztecs football season has included a win against Stony Brook (42-0), a loss to Washington State (36-13), a win against California (34-0), a win against Northern Illinois (6-3), a win against Colorado State (45-24), and a win against Nevada (44-10). The team has a 5-1 overall record and is 2-0 in the Mountain West conference
By who?!
Some guys asleep at their computers?!
From the article padrepapi linked to.
“The PECOTA projections over at Baseball Prospectus are one of the big ones, and the projected standings and PLAYOFF ODDS FOR THE 2025 SEASON were released this week. So let’s dive in.
PECOTA simulates the season over and over to project what might happen for every team, and there are plenty of noteworthy projections for this year. Remember, standings projections aren’t meant to be a perfect crystal ball for exactly how the season will shake out — they’re just an attempt to use all the information we have to find the most likely outcome for each team.
Here are the seven biggest takeaways from the 2025 PECOTA projected MLB standings.
7) The D-backs are in and the Padres are out”
Wow this thread is still going?
Parting gifts like floor mats, Turtle Wax and Rice r Roni on the Price is Right
Like a 15 inning game of threads. Neither side can drive anyone in
And again, those who know how to read the stats in the tables don’t require sportswriters to dumb it down for us.
“my retirement from the San Diego Padres” is there any particular reason you keep leaving the last few words out??
When you leave one team that’s not called retiring lol. Stop this.
As opposed to figuratively retiring, retiring for the evening. Like every vanquished opponent facing an impending Steph Curry beatdown
Just for gits and shiggles, I decided to use the Wayback Machine to retrieve PECOTA for 3-29-25. Projected wins and playoff odds in the NLW:
Dodgers: 102.4 (99.6)
Padres: 91.9 (83.1)
Diamondbacks 88.6 (69.3)
Giants: 75.8 (6.4)
Rockies 54.1 (0.0)
So, my memory was close to right on the wins, and nobody was considered “out” except the Rockies (far from it in the case of the Padres). Where ESPN got their numbers I have no idea, but they are clearly wrong. There’s a lesson in here somewhere. I wonder what it is?
Anyway, feel free to check my work:
web.archive.org/web/20250330003918/https://www.bas…
@davidk1979,
I’ve been at it for 10 years, and I’m still trying to figure out what retirement means.
outinleftfield likes to argue even when someone shows he is wrong. And also mute the person who showed he is wrong and also bring in his burner accounts to “agree” with himself.
Ha ha. All over it.
He never said he’s retiring. He said he is stepping down. There’s a difference and he will see about the future at some point
From his statement – “It is with a heavy but full heart that I am announcing my retirement”
Maybe he wants Disneyland
Kind of young for someone who is only 57 and doesn’t have a ton of MLB managing experience. Shildt is more of an east coast guy so geography probably played a major role. My guess is he will pull a Tito and will be back in 2 or 3 years.
According to the letter he wrote, the grind of coaching is just too much for him and he’s retiring.
See if he can handle the grind of where’s my double latte frappachino
With extra foam…
The grind of managing, you mean. Please don’t use “coach” generically to mean manager, it’s nails on the blackboard to us baseball fans. Also, that’s what Shildt said.
@Alan53: Come on, dude. It’s all coaching. Don’t be a pedant. I’m also a baseball fan and it’s not “nails on the blackboard” to me, so speak for yourself.
Regardless, here we are again with the coaching carousel. No stability since Bochy left. Think of all the managers that have come and gone since then and I really am curious as to whom is the next manager could possibly be. There’s a lot of opportunity for managers right now. And how appealing can this gig be with the history of turnover it’s had?
Sounds like physical health issues prompted this unexpected departure
Could be mental. Maybe the stress made him drink too much for example.
Then there’s the case of drinky too much but not feeling the stress. Or really anything, so much so to be sleepy time in the dugout. Like hall of fame baseball guy
He’s obviously burnt out and needs a break for a few years, I doubt seriously he’s waiting for another specific job like SF
Who’d want the Giants job?
I don’t even like them but I’d take it!
Huge surpise. As a manager of 8 years i get it. You see your health decline more each year and your job consumes you.
I often wonder if sleep deprivation takes its toll. A player steps off the field, showers, goes home, maybe has a beer and is asleep by 12:00, maybe.
But a manager probably has the games decisions still running thru his head for a couple of hours, and probably has to think about the following days’ lineup and strategy, depending on BP usage and such.
I never got my best sleep when work runneth over.
@Joe I could only imagine how much time Managers spend beating themselves up in hindsight over bullpen usage.
Even in a good year a team loses nearly 1 out of every 3 games. Thats a ton of what ifs to ponder as far as how things could have went different.
Pirates
Can he play 3B and hit 20+ HR?
Trilo is at 3rd and appears to have turned a corner in his approach in the second half
I believe Triolo is best suited for Super U duty. Pirates need to promote Griffin to be starting SS on opening day, and sign or trade for a 3B who can hit 20+ HR to show us (and Paul Skenes) they’re serious about being competitive next year.
If he could he would want $2M and it would be too much for Nutting.
Ill take news I didn’t expect to hear today for $800 Ken.
He probably got tired of the diva culture in the clubhouse
Or got tired of always playing second fiddle to big Blue brother up the road
I know exactly what you mean. He has that 1980s vibe going where he looks 20 years older than me actually is.
Name a single org which doesn’t have “diva” culture?
Pirates? Get bratty and run afoul of your ‘mates, get forced to walk the plank. Yarrrr!
Dodgers
Blue Jays, Dodgers, Brewers, Tigers, Cubs., Phillies, etc.
Cub, PCA says hi. And look at me and my drama
Jobu-Many of us Pirates fans wish that there were at least one or more divas on the Pirates.
O’Neil Cruz?
Shocker to me.
However, I can also see how after 5 seasons managing, being the “high energy” positive kind of guy he is, he’s had enough. He’s an honorable man, that’ much is certain (i.e. walking away from guaranteed money).
Wish him the best. He was the best manager of the Preller era. The Padres have a major hole to fill. Anything at this point is possible, including someone like Niebla moving up. This is the most confounding thing that’s happened since I’ve been watching the Pads (i.e. maybe late 90’s).
Best to just keep Ruben in his current role. Maybe give him a raise.
Agree, but that means Ruben has to sign off on the new guy. If Ruben wants it, we might not be able to keep him around if we go another direction.
That’s my thought, too. If Ruben isn’t hired by the Padres, and wants to remain in California (i.e. his home state, I believe), he might have to wait years, maybe a decade, for a manager opening somewhere on the West Coast. It’s kind of like the situation with Dave Roberts. The Pads declined to interview him (or did, and didn’t hire him – I can’t recall), and the next year, he was managing in L.A.. I’m not comparing Niebla to Roberts as talent, just the situation.
~~ IF ~~ Niebla want’s to manage in the near future, and IF he’s not offered the job by the Padres, then he will probably leave San Diego sooner than later, even if it’s only for another pitching manager job, or maybe an promotional opportunity, like bench coach.
I’d hate to lose him as pitching coach, too, but the guy deserves the opportunities he’s earned.
He’s not leaving San Diego for a lateral move. While he might leave for a manager job the history of pitching coaches as managers is… dismal.
Wish would could steal Venable from the White Sox..
padres are a solid tm! shocking he left
issues with FO/ownership?
just read he retired from baseball
physical mental toll of managing
wow
Seemed like they were on good terms.
Wow. Another manager post is open. I can’t remember the last time there were this many manager positions open.
Hope everything is okay with Shildt. He’s had a lot of success in his managerial career.
What rock have you been hiding under? There have been numerous years with lot if manager openings since I have been baseball fan since 1983. Might have more open soon also!
I don’t recall the last time that nearly one-third of the league was seeking a manager in the offseason, but you have been a fan for about 25 years longer than I have.
Was he promised another job managing? Think that’s tampering. Maybe he just wants a break.
Craig Counsell says hi!
Craig Counsel is going to be sitting right where he ought to be after slithering out from under his managerial job in Milwaukee to take a ton of more money to manage the Cubs!!!
I think it’s Funny he’ll be sitting in his recliner —- having to watch the Brewers playing for the National League Championship!!!!
And —- I hope he has to sit there eating Popcorn as the Brewers are playing in the World Series!!!
Counsel sure didn’t push the right buttons or pull the right strings managing the Cubs!!
Except Counsell was a free agent. The cr@ppy part of that situation was the Cubs had a manager under contract.
Come to the Nats, Schildt!
Is he a great manager?
He’s good. Better than a lot of others. I think the Orioles should talk with him.
Y tho?
Didn’t want to deal with Tatis and Machado anymore clearly.
He announced his retirement from managing altogether, citing the physical, mental and emotional toll the job has taken on him.
It’s not easy losing every year
It’s not easy running a daycare for millionaire athletes. I can only imagine what it looks like behind the scenes, given what is public knowledge.
Player issues, ownership situation, etc.
29 teams “lose” every year. And people like you think they’re all failures because they didn’t win it all. Getting into the tournament at the end of the long season is indeed a win.
He will be back.
He will get bored golfing and hanging out at the beach.
“philosophical differences”?
Basically he wanted the Cardinals to do everything they are forced to do now back in 2022 before they became a laughing stock in STL. The organization disagreed then but now are scrambling to do it with a new front office.
Yep! 👍👆You got it JCH!
Dogers all but handed him the division and they said no thanks.
Ok there’s no effing way A. J. Preller should get to hire a SEVENTH new manager. People were saying 4 years ago that Bob Melvin was the last new manager he would get to hire. Common denominator and all that.
Just don’t see the Padres doing a front office change while also finding a new field manager.
Oh and why not?
Inability to keep the same manager for 2 years does not portend organizational stability.
Consecutive 90-win seasons, 4 playoff runs in 6 years. Preller is going nowhere. Shildt’s run bought him a contract extension.
7 managers in 12 years (not even counting Dave Roberts and Rod Barajas)
“Preller is going nowhere.”
That’s correct on multiple levels. We know one place he’s never going is first place in the NL West. And the World Series.
@Mustard
Here’s a gold star for being clever on the internet.
“OK there’s no effing way”…You didn’t actually state a single specific reason why A.J should not be allowed to hire another manager.
I’m formerly one of Prellar’s biggest critics, but this guy buys, sells, trades and acquires more baseball talent in a single year, than some GMs do in a decade.
“People were saying 4 years ago that Bob Melvin was the last new manager he would get to hire. Common denominator and all that.”
Wasn’t me
Preller definitely knows how to draft and build a farm system, but unless ownership allows him to keep spending, it’s going to be tough to recover from this season’s deadline.
Cease, King, Suarez, O’Hearn, and Arraez are free agents.
Who knows what to expect from Musgrove and Darvish.
Farm system is barren.
At some point it would seem the magic runs out, but maybe I’m wrong.
Farm system is not barren. Read a deep dive into it. Some of their young players and acquisitions have taken some big steps forward.
@Adrian what people were saying that?
Boss Move!
Per a letter he penned to the UT, he stepped down for personal health reasons. If he takes another job, he’ll garner a lot of ill will here.
Having said that, I think a new voice is needed. Shildt was stubborn bordering on arrogant this year, particularly with lineup construction. Arraez stayed at 2 and played 1b despite the acquisition of O’Hearn. Fernando stayed at leadoff despite the team’s need for middle order slug. Both players had, arguably, their worst offensive seasons.
While I admit that injuries and lack of depth doomed this team to a certain degree, a more flexible and open minded manager can greatly benefit the 2026 padres. Bochy is an obvious choice given his 3 rings with offensively challenged Giants teams and would be a great come home story. Skip Schumacher would have been the perfect fit here had Shildt announced this last week. Not sure if there’s another available comp of youthful exuberance and managerial experience at the pro level though.
Oscar Gonazalez, Yuli Gurriel, Jose Iglesias and Jason Heyward started for us on opening day. The Arraez thing was annoying but Shildt has always found a way to win.
I don’t know that Bochy is an option. He looks like he is getting ready to retire himself.
Boch is not an option as long as Preller is in charge.
The timing of this would never have mattered regarding Schumacher. Skip was joining the Rangers no matter what.
Managers in today’s game are extensions of the front office. The lineup construction you disliked so much is at least as much a product of the front office game planning as it was the manager. So expect the same from the next manager. Because this is how it works in the analytics era.
Queueing Baldelli in ……
I’m not sure if he stepped down of his own accord or they just allowed him to say he did but if he did that means he forfeits the 2 years left on his contract.
Unless they pay him without telling anybody. A mutual compromise.
Preller is the one who fired Buddy 10.5 years ago. I doubt whether either of them wants that. And if Black’s fanboys on here are any indication he’ll have other options.
Black was actually a scapegoat for the Rockies. Their failures fall more from the Front Office than Blacks managing. We didn’t mind Black running the dugout ,but he could only do so much with what he had.
To hear his fanboys tell it he’d have won multiple rings by now if he didn’t spend his entire managerial career with a pair of poverty franchises and if he’s ever available every team’s owner will be pushing and shoving each other out of the way to get to him.
Bud Black is not a great manager but I’d still put him above most these days. Dude’s a local, at least.
@Pads Fans And you felt the need to tell us this… why?
Let Manny manage. He’s great at rah rah meetings on the mound, as well as in the dugout, occasionally leading to 24 straight scoreless innings.
Who ever it is, has to be a Preller yes man.
Interesting that 2 managers in a row leave after 2 years on their own accord from a playoff caliber team and would rather manage a less talented team or just leave altogether.
Shildt could have health or family issues that we know nothing about but just an interesting observation for this organization who can never have stability in management despite trying to be a World Series contender.
Melvin was a poor fit and going into a lame duck season; given that the Giants fired him 2 years later, I think it’s hard to pin that one on SD. Shildt’s situation feels completely different.
Word out in baseball land is that Preller is a hard guy to work with.
It looks that way. Plenty of good in him I’m sure, but dude gives the impression that he has all the emotional capacity of a brick wall.
He is great at finding diamonds in the rough talent and unlocking their best value. It seems like just about every year, they sign a few players that hit walls with other teams then start playing like above average major league starting players. Also, he does very well in the Draft and International signings. Other POBs and GMs really trust him the the Padres farm system to send them high quality players with big upsides in trades.
Teams still trade with the Guardians even though their difference in WAR brought in vs. WAR sent out is absolutely staggering.
The Padres have a very capable, winning candidate already on staff. Scott Servais had a solid 9-year run with the Mariners (680-642). He got relieved last year after a pivotal losing streak–somebody’s head had to roll and you can’t fire ownership. He’s currently a special assistant for player development with San Diego. He’s not getting much credit, but the Ms owe at least some of their current success to him.
I agree with you about Scott Servais.
Servais would be a decent choice. They also have A.J. Ellis in the front office if they are looking at a rookie manager. Buck Showalter might be a good choice as well and don’t rule out the possibility of Brad Ausmus at least being considered
Probably right.
Many POBs stock up on baseball talent that could slide into the Manager’s chair if they need to make a change.
You guys could always hire David Bell.
*ducks*
Tori Hunter is looking for a Manager’s job.
Pair him up with an experienced bench coach and and he could be a very good Manager!
Buck Showalter would be a good fit in San Diego…
If only moron Rob Thomson would follow this example
It was fun while it lasted.
I wish him all the best. Much respect for Mike. Mahalo
That’s a bit shocking for sure. But hey if he was truly worn down it’s not worth it. I guess he thought maybe it would affect his long term health so good for him. Excellent manager.
Aloha uncle, it sure is. His health comes first. As an aside, I’ll say this, I’d take Shildt over CC. St Louis made a mistake letting him go. Take care now. Mahalo
Although as you know I don’t think CC is the Cubs biggest problem, he’s certainly not proving worth nearly twice the biggest contract ever given to a manager. Aloha big guy!
Padres please hire former padre mark kotsay away from A’s
Kotsay is and up and coming manager.
That A’s team is loaded with fast rising young talent. If they had more pitching,they would be a threat in the AL West.
Wow, it seemed like the padres had finally found a manager who would be around for a few years but I guess it’s back to the churn.
Offer it to Niebla first. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Shildt this past season but there were some gaps in the roster and the old-school offensive approach wasn’t solely on him. I really liked his fire and it was clear the players appreciated playing for him.
Maybe the Cubs can trade Counsell to the Padres for a pack of gum.
From the outside looking in my opinion is that you padres fans should be very happy to see this. Shildt really loved bunting and making weird lineup decisions. Also not surprised to hear him say he’s physically and emotionally exhausted. Managing Machado, Tatis, and Merrill would do that to anyone.
Lol why would Merrill make him physically and emotionally exhausted?
why would you lump Merrill in with those two?
The Padres wish they could clone Merrill, his work ethic, his positive attitude etc.
Merrill in an interview said he gets along with all of his teammates even the asshats lol!
At 21, he refused to express negativity about Will Smith regarding the Profar comment and expressed his respect for Smith. He’s a coach’s dream.
Profar is definitely relevant to the braves, his doctor’s, and his agent.
Read that Padres Front Office is encouraging Merrill to step up as one of the leaders of the Padres.
He seems like a good kid. But I don’t see a scenario where Machado or Tatis take a step back in the clubhouse. They are strong personalities signed to long contracts.
They might give him “young leader” status, but I doubt they allow him to take the lead. At least not for a few more years.
We really miss Mike here in STL after management did him wrong and canned him.
Hoping for the best for Mike, a true baseball man and seems like a no-bs, awesome guy, in general.
Best of luck, Mike!
A lot of Padre fans wanted this, but I would have been fine with him coming back for another year. Not sure if it would have mattered where in the lineup Tatis and Machado were in the playoffs, 2 for 12 combined is still 2 for 12. Would like to see Niebla stick around as pitching coach, but the new Manager should be able to pick his own coaching staff, we’ll see what happens.
Thanks, Mike…you did a great job!!!
He quit because he knows the Padres are going to lose a ton of FA next year and as usual they emptied their farm system in going after guys this year.
Same ole bad take. You can copy and paste your comment every offseason in the last 6 years. You act like the Padres haven’t lost any significant talent in the last few years and still find ways to reinvent, reinvest and still compete.
Hmm, I guess someone didn’t like my comment response to a highly irrelevant, as well as inaccurate, Dodger fan’s post. My post is gone. Oh well, the tragedies of living life in a censored world.
There are plenty of teams with a bad outlook who have managers being employed and paid.
So I don’t think this is the case.
Most of the guys they are losing they have already lined up their replacements.
Miller is taking Suarez’s Closer job.
Other young bullpen arms are ready to step up.
Musgrove returning from surgery is replacing Dylan Cease.
Ramón Laureano OF will be playing LF/IB/DH replacing Arraez
Gavin Sheets same as above
Fermin is the fulltime catcher until Ethan Salas is ready to take over catching.
King they will try to resign.
If not, they might pick up anothe starter in trade or as free agent.
Otherwise, they can transition another one of their young relievers into a starter like they have done in the past.
Ryan O’Hearn they might try to resign for 1B/DH/OF if the price is right.
They could use a few versatile bench players who can hit and hit with power in free agency or trade.
All in All the Padres are in much better shape at the end of ’25 then they were in at the end of ’24 as far as roster construction goes.
And Hosmer contract is no longer a weight – that is enough to resign King (adding King’s 25 salary to Hosmer’s 25 salary).
You are forgetting the huge salary bumps Machado and Pivetta are getting. That is where Hosmer’s money is going.
And then losing Cease and Arreaz and Suarez and Yu drops.
The math works for adding / retaining King.
Correct, the Hoz money pays only part of the raises some vets are getting (not all). Most of the new money coming off the books will be from Suarez, Cease, King, Arraez, O’Hearn leaving. They will need to try to replace all of those guys (well, maybe they don’t need to replace Suarez) with that money. All those guys were bargains so it’s not much money really. They need 2 SP, DH, 1B. Assuming of course the team wants to keep have the same payroll in 26 as they had in 25 (2nd tier of CBT). They might try to reduce payroll for reset, which would annoy me as a fan given the record attendance and playoff money.
I’d say the 1B / DH can have 1 guy with Sheets on roster.
My target would be old friend Josh Naylor.
RH would be preferred but not required with Ramon in lineup.
Give Campy a legit chance to he backup C / RH DH.
AJ wi find a project SP like the last few years cheap or loaded with options.
Retaining King shouldn’t be the most expensive SP FA due to limited starts and recent injury – now, he just has to perform.
I think the team would he pretty set with Naylor and King back.
Isn’t Eguy back in system for that utility guy role?
@Longtimecoming Darvish ain’t retiring.
Didn’t say that. His payout is reducing per his contract terms.
If they lose Suarez. Pickup Laureano option and payout about $24M -$25M that has been estimated for their arbitration players, they will have about $190M committed and still not have a covered a 40 man roster. That would be about $24-$25 M below what they spent this season on salaries. Not a lot to fill out pitching staff, 1B/DH and bench.
Trudat!
Not forgetting, just factoring it all in.
If King is healthy. Big red flag to me that King was only given 1 inning to pitch in an elimination game. Either they were worried about him getting hurt again. OR they were saving him for the next round.
Have a bunch of young relievers and some arms at AAA and AA that will be given innings…Also, probably another 1 year bounceback contract for a starter…Lots of bench players on the market for not too much $$$$
And, if Tatis Jr, Bogaerts, Merrill and a few others have better years in ’26 then not there best years in ’25, then the Padres could be even better in ’26
Nowadays, managers have double digit coaching staffs. If someone asked me to describe why being an MLB manager is so exhausting, I have no answer.
Do people here think that being a manager of a contending team is more stressful in 2025 or in 1985?
2025. the average fan has access to more information, more interviews and commentary, more TV broadcasts of all teams.
A manager in 1985 had more autonomy and a manager today has a lot more responsibility with media, interviews etc. There wasn’t the same kind of coverage in 1985.
This doesn’t even take into consideration modern day toxic fan culture / betting.
Player personalities are drastically different today than they were back then too. You have average at best players making more money than whole teams spent on payroll back then
Thanks for the response, but I do not find those points to be that compelling. I don’t see how an MLB manager is affected by toxic cans and gambling.
When every team has multiple hitting/pitching coaches and “quality control coaches” and “run prevention managers,” it seems as if managers are doing little coaching and more like managing personalities and motivating the team.
I would think that someone who never played professional baseball, such as Shildt, would be at a disadvantage, but apparently others disagree.
“The now-former manager said that during the past season he experienced, among other things, poor sleep, chest pains, hair loss and, in an age of pervasive sports gambling, even death threats from strangers.”
That’s how toxic fans and gamblers can affect someone.
some aren’t cut out for this day and age. It’s pervasive. I get death threats and I’m in academia
Fans were worse back then. There were more crazy drunks in the stands during the 1970’s and 1980’s than today. Maniacal fans would storm the fields after championships and would throw batteries, beer bottles, etc onto the field routinely, especially in the Northeastern and Midwestern cities.
In MLB each team is allowed 7 uniformed coaches, the manager and 6 coaches. That hasn’t changed in 54 years.
Including strength and conditioning coaches and other non-uniformed coaches that are not involved in the game day operations, several teams have 10 coaches and a few have even more with assistant hitting coach or assistant catching coach or others that are not in the clubhouse or dugout on game day.
That said, there is a huge amount more that goes into the game today. The level of data alone has gone up exponentially since 1985. Teams today have access to more data than we see on StatCast and that is a staggering amount of information. That has to be digested, understood, and then translated into information the players can use on a day to day basis. Managers didn’t do that in 1985. They mostly got by on instinct. Some delved into matchups, But nothing like what they have to today. Managers today deal with the front office on a much greater level than in 1985. For most teams several times per day. Back in the 1980’s most managers had little in terms of daily interactions with the front office once the season began.
I just finished watching a documentary that chronicled the Braves in the early 80s. There were 2 or 3 members of the media that were in the clubhouse and at most press conferences. Today its pretty common for there to be 30 or 40 including bloggers, podcasters, and other types of media. Dealing with them is just not the same as dealing with the beat writer for your daily, a TV reporter, and a radio reporter or two. In 1985 there was no social media or even the internet. Managers did not have to deal with the types of fans we see regularly on places like this site now.
The other thing that has changed is the public perception of protecting your mental health. In the 1980s it was unheard of to even talk about it. Today its commonplace. I wish Shildt all the best. It’s hard to say that I have to take a step back to protect my health. All the respect in the world to him.
Which documentary was that? I ushered for the Braves in 1984 when they were filming one all season long but they were so bad I don’t know if they bothered to finish it.
He talks about mental and emotional stress being principle causes. Wonder how much of that came from FO interference. Maybe not Preller, but maybe some of his minions.
Maybe he’s been told that they are going to decrease payroll. Did they ever settle their owmership?
Should have never extended in the first place
I don’t know how anyone manages a long time these days. Being the scapegoat for almost every facet of a ball club doesn’t sound like fun to me.
He’ll sit out a couple of years then join the Baltimore Orioles, the team he grew up loving.
Out of respect just like Bochy he was given the chance to step down before they fired him. It’s a win now world and 2 years is like 10 before.
If fired, he is paid for the remaining two years of his contract. Resigning gets him none of his remaining salary, unless he arrived at an agreement with the Padres to receive some part of it. Presumably this is what occurred as Schildt declined to answer any questions about the financial arrangements.
Bochy got screwed by Farhan the moron. The guy that thinks he knows everything, but knows nothing.
Unquestionably the lamest comment on this thread and definitely deserves a mute.
I don’t agree with his comment but I’m not going to mute him and I’m most certainly not going to announce to the entire site that I’m muting him.
Boch had two feet out the door when he left the Pads. Other teams were circling and wanting to hire him. He was offered multiple jobs not long after he left the Pads.
In fairness, in San Diego, Bochy had a period of many years when he was managing some of the worst rosters in MLB.
Most of the best managers in MLB history could not get much more than Bochy got out of those players and rosters.
We saw him prove that point with his successes with the Giants
He won. Pretty sure they were saying on MLB Network today that he had the most wins over a 2 year stretch of any Padres manager. I don’t think winning had anything to do with it.
The job is a grind. Starts in mid February, ends sometime in October, and you’re away from your family more time than not.
Hopefully he gets his physical and mental health in order and enjoys whatever he does next.
I admire people who step away from the table on their own volition.
This makes eight teams vying for a manager right now. Tough gig!
Discipline foppert, discipline.
Wow. Thats a surprise.
Haha…..
I’m not commenting until we hear from Gwynning. He’s the Padre fan whose perspective I respect.
This puts the team in a hard spot. The WS contention window is closing. 2026 has to be WS or bust. Seidler’s email to season ticket holders pretty much says that. Results up to this point are fine for years past, but no longer. The next manager cannot be a rookie manager. No Jayce Tingler, Andy Green experiments. Must be a proven winner. But then again, has to be able to check his ego if he is going to work for Preller. Shildt says that managing this year took a physical, mental and emotional toll. Ownership needs to peel that onion. He didn’t say that last year. Melvin had issues with the FO and I will not be surprised if Shildt did too. Ownership should go ahead and rip the bandaid. Replace Preller. Get a veteran manager that has more control over how the team is run without upstairs interference. Folks might say that the players are the issue. Maybe so, but you can’t get rid of guys with no trade clauses. Besides, these are all Preller gets. Hold him accountable for the turmoil. Thank him for making the team at least relevant, if not WS caliber and move on.
So much pressure in that position, probably the most thankless in baseball
Schildt might have figured out that while he can win games with that roster he can’t win with that roster.
Seems like Texas made the right choice naming Schumaker Manager as soon as they did as the openings keep increasing.
Rocco Baldelli would be a nice fit.
Well let’s face it is a very talented team but I’m guessing that it is exhausting dealing with a lot of the immature people in that dugout. Obviously if you managers jumping ship a lot.
SOMEONE MAKE THE 30 FOR 30 of the PADRES!!!
Very likely that his wife delivered the ultimatum.
He’s not married
Must have been his cat, then.
I wish him well. He’s made money that can allow him to step back. There’s more important things in life than the game. It’s always there in some fashion if and when he wants to re-engage.
“Lying is no way to go through life. Meanwhile, let me lie about my relationship with all the players, coaches, managers and executives.”
with six different accounts
Dude is a major hothead with a razor thin hair trigger. Stepping away for awhile will hopefully do some good for him.
“Major hothead” I watched all the games and I didn’t see that. Not that he never got mad but usually it was justified.
Fighting about what the word retirement means, good lord lol 🙄 just let the man have his moment. He’s done a great job in SD. Wish him all the best
Finally a respectable post, thanks Quinnap89
Yeah, can’t blame the guy. He was constantly coming unglued, and probably had the two worst players in baseball to manage, in Machado and Tatis Jr. Dude looked like he was about to have a stroke in a few of the games they played against the Dodgers.
No, you didn’t observe him regularly. That is very inaccurate description of his tenure.
Mets please sign him, make him an offer he can’t refuse
Unless the Padres fired him I don’t think he’s allowed.
Hundley next Padres manager?
I wonder if Mark Loretta is interested in the job?
id call Mark DeRosa and see if hell leave the studio
That toxic clubhouse drove him out
Will Venable
or DeRosa
Dang!! That leaves the Friers up Shildt creek without a manager.
From what I have read, AJ Preller is a hard driving 24/7/365 baseball guy whose entire life is baseball. Anyone accepting the Padres managerial job must be ready for calls and texts at all hours of the day and night that you are expected to answer asap.
Preller has a reputation as a “micro manager”.
A Padres manager, even one sensitive to the new stats and and analytics, can expect every one of his dugout decisions to be second, third, fourth, and fifth guessed by keyboard Asst GMs who have never played, coached or managed in MLB.
Between Preller’s micromanaging and the analytics guys interfering with a Padres’ Manager’s every decision, it is not surprising that the Padres Managers job is a very high burnout rate position.
How many managers has Preller had as POB of the Padres 6-8?!
It has been reported in the Media that former MLB managers and other baseball insiders have cast doubt on Bruce Bochy returning to the San Diego Padres to work with President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller. While Bochy has not made a public statement on the matter since departing the Texas Rangers in September 2025, reports from 2021 and 2023 suggest potential tensions or concerns.
Here is a summary of the factors and timeline regarding Bochy, the Padres, and Preller:
Concerns about Preller’s style: In 2021, when Bochy was a potential candidate for the Padres’ managerial vacancy, multiple baseball insiders expressed skepticism that he would want to manage for a general manager as “hands-on” as Preller. One former manager was quoted saying, “There’s no f—ing way Bochy goes in and deals with all that”.
Failed courtship in 2021: Despite the concerns, Preller secretly met with Bochy twice during the 2021 offseason to discuss the managerial opening. However, Bochy was not interested in the position, and the Padres ultimately hired Bob Melvin.
Bochy is a likely candidate for a managing role: After mutually parting ways with the Texas Rangers in September 2025, Bochy signaled that he is not retiring and remains open to managing again.
Potential Padres reunion: Padres are seeking a new manager after Mike Shildt stepped down on October 13, 2025. Given Bochy’s past with the club, fans and media have speculated about a reunion.
Still it would be an unlikely pairing: With the Padres still under Preller’s control, Recent reports confirm that a reunion with Bochy is unlikely despite the managerial opening.
Fans on social media have also recently cited Bochy’s dislike of Preller’s micromanagement style as a reason for their unlikely pairing.
I was reasonably certain Bochy would never come back to managing before he signed on with Texas, so never say never I guess. That being said, I doubt whether he has any interest in working under A. J. Preller. And given his reputation he’ll have plenty of other options if he does want to keep managing.
Problems with the Padres decision making process with players and in the dugout.
Tatis looked like his head was not in the games in the playoffs as far as his hitting goes.
Shildt likes to tinker with his lineups, but did not move any of his #1-3 hitters down in the lineup when they were all struggling to hit .100 in the playoffs?!
Misuse of 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn who was hitting.
Shildt platooned O’Hearn against lefties?!
O’Hearn had .825 OPS against lefties with Padres.
The players who replaced O’Hearn against lefties were much worse against lefties.
Big picture: Why would O’Hearn resign a contract extension with the Padres when he was producing as a fulltime player and the “braintrust” in analytics appeared to want to turn O’Hearn into a platoon player?!
And, O’Hearn outhit (versus lefties) all the guys that started for him against lefties in San Diego?!
Who the hell made the bonehead decision to start Darvish over King in the elimination game in the playoffs versus the Cubs?!
And, King pitches only 1 inning?!
Was King hurt?!
If not, then that decision will go down as the worst baseball decision in Padres history.
I suspect “Hal” the analytics computer thought it was a good idea lol!
Start King. Get 4, 5 or 6 shutout innings.
Then, the Padres shut down bullpen is ready to “mop up” and win the game for the Padres.
I suspect analytics and the hope to start King in game #1 against the Brewers in the next round lead to the decision to let King pitch only 1 inning in the elimination game against the Cubs.
But, you have to actually win the elimination game to get to the NLCS which did not happen.
Darvish is almost 40 years old and was not the Darvish of years past all year.
Would rather have seen King @ 75% than the version of Darvish they rolled out to start an elimination game.
And, they rolled their closer Suarez out in the 7th inning?!
Suarez is used to pitching the 9th inning.
Rolling out Suarez in the 7th may have gotten him all out of synch from his regular routine etc and caused him to throw that home run pitch.
Who is actually making the decisions for the Padres?!
I suspect Preller and the analytics department are encrouching heavily on the Manager’s decisions in San Diego (and elsewhere in MLB).
It is probably why we see a record 10 MLB managerial jobs open right now.
Modern POBs and the increasing power of the analytics departments’
in MLB Front Offices are alienating successful managers especially the skilled managers from the “old school” baseball who have decades of experience and make decisions that you cannot make on a computer.
Analytics can be an excellent tool when used judiciously.
But, why even have a manager if some teams are just relying on the analytics dept and computers to make most of their decisions even in game decisions?!
SportsFan0000
Shildt platooned O’Hearn against lefties?!
========================
Everyone platoons O’Hearn.
Ohearn had an .825 OPS against left handed pitching in SD.
Much lesser hitting utility players were getting his ABs against lefties when O’Hearn joined the team from Baltimore.
Notsure that “everyone platoons O’Hearn” or should platoon O’Hearn. He was the starter in Baltimore
Will people please stop pushing Bochy-to-Padres? The man is practically in a full-body cast, would never want to work under A. J. Preller and would have other options if he wants to keep managing.
Not pushing Bochy to the Padres.
Just pointing out the reasons Bochy will not be managing the Padres.
Congrats on retirement. Enjoy
hard to manage a team when the players play for the name on the back of the jersey, instead of the name on the front of the jersey.
Magnificent !
A Pads Fan guarantee. Ha ha ha. That is worth zero.
It looks like the many personalities of Pads Fans are finally starting to get rooted out.
When you’re out a SHILDT, you’re out a Manager!!
Wish him all the best!
Preller ought to follow suit. Then, seriously consider hiring Ozzie Guillen for this current roster. If not, trade Tatis.
Game has changed. Not sure Ozzie would like the emphasis on analytics.
Ozzie was a charismatic manager who wanted to make his own decisions.
Ozzie also attracted controversies and press more than most with his flamboyant style.
Not sure Ozzie’s style would play well in San Diego.