Mike Shildt

Latest On A.J. Preller

By Darragh McDonald | October 17, 2025 at 11:29am CDT

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is under contract through 2026. It’s been suggested by some that he is fairly safe in his job but a report today from Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic casts at least a bit of doubt on that. The report notes that an extension is possible but not guaranteed and goes into detail about some behind-the-scenes tensions between Preller and CEO Erik Greupner. The report adds that Greupner has a small stake in the team and is therefore a part owner.

The story coming out of San Diego is seemingly changing daily. The Padres lost to the Cubs in the Wild Card round but had just finished their second consecutive season winning at least 90 games. They made the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. Just last week, it was reported that Preller and manager Mike Shildt would likely return to keep the good times rolling.

But this week, Shildt surprisingly stepped down from his post. Reports then emerged of significant tumult behind the curtain, with multiple staffers having apparently had an awful time working under Shildt. Staffers from Shildt’s time with the Cardinals reported similar behavior from him at that time.

Even as the sunlight was hitting Shildt’s terrible management skills, Lin wrote that many within the Padres still expected Preller to be extended. Today’s report is a bit less firm. The report notes that some Padres employees have observed increasing tensions between Preller and Greupner.

The report notes that Preller’s preferred choice for the manager role going into 2024 was Ryan Flaherty, though it’s suggested that Greupner and special advisor Eric Kutsenda may have overruled him to tap Shildt instead. Earlier this week, Lin reported that team sources said Greupner and Kutsenda were heavily involved in Shildt’s hiring.

There has been all kinds of turnover within the Padres since Preller was hired to run the front office in 2014. The Padres were rebuilding then but, as mentioned, have emerged and been quite successful over the past six years. Those rebuilding years saw the Padres cycle through managers but even the recent on-field success hasn’t stabilized the skipper position. Jayce Tingler had the gig for 2020 and 2021 but reported clubhouse discord led to him being fired and replaced by Bob Melvin. Melvin himself lasted two years before he jumped to the Giants amid whispers of a rough relationship between him and Preller.

Peter Seidler was the owner of the club until he died in November of 2023. His death led to plenty of friction at the ownership level as well. Kutsenda was named interim control person for a while but eventually passed that title to Peter’s brother John Seidler, though there has been an ongoing legal battle about control of the club. That battle also involves Peter’s widow Sheel, as well as his brothers Matt and Bob.

It seems there’s been constant churning in the power vacuum left by Peter’s death. It’s unclear exactly how things are currently structured but Preller is working for a group that he didn’t really choose to work for and that group is working with a president of baseball operations they didn’t hire. The lack of extension for Preller could be meaningless. It could also signify that the new group isn’t as keen on him as Peter was. It could also signify that Preller isn’t thrilled with the new arrangement.

Today’s reporting from The Athletic indicates that Greupner has taken on a prominent role behind the scenes. He and Kutsenda seemingly preferred Shildt over Flaherty as they wanted to make a safe pick and stop the game of musical chairs in the dugout. Shildt was in his mid-50s and had previous managerial experience, whereas Flaherty was only 37 years old at the time and was just a few years removed from his playing days.

The attempt to stabilize the dugout didn’t work out, as Shildt is now gone. Flaherty’s name has already been connected to the Padres’ opening. Based on today’s reporting, it seems like Preller would probably like to hire Flaherty. However, it appears he may not have the ability to make a unilateral decision, based on how things went down two years ago. Perhaps the Shildt situation not playing out as hoped will earn Preller a bit more leeway to make the call this time, though that’s completely speculative.

As pointed out by The Athletic, it’s also unclear if Preller’s contract status plays a role in the managerial search. For the new skipper, you would ideally like to know that the front office leader you are working with will be around for more than one season.

Perhaps all this is much ado about nothing. It’s entirely possible that Preller is extended, maintaining continuity for a franchise that has had a lot of recent success, though like the proverbial duck which is calm above the surface and furiously kicking below. A few weeks from now, maybe Preller is secured and a new manager is hired. Whatever the path forward, the Padres should probably figure it out soon. Offseason doings are just a few weeks away and the club has a lot of work to do, as Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arráez and others are becoming free agents, with Robert Suarez likely to opt out as well.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Latest On Mike Shildt’s Resignation As Padres Manager

By Mark Polishuk and Anthony Franco | October 15, 2025 at 11:52pm CDT

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller met with reporters (including The Athletic’s Dennis Lin) in the team’s season wrap-up press conference yesterday. As expected, a lot of the focus was on Mike Shildt’s decision to step down as the team’s manager on Monday, which Preller characterized as “probably more of a surprise than a shock,” given how the two had spoken near the end of the season about the health issues Shildt cited as a reason for his departure. Shildt also asked for a week off at his home in North Carolina once the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs, which created some speculation within the organization about the skipper’s future.

Shildt expanded on his decision in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee yesterday, and said that he hopes to return to baseball in a player development role in the future. However, it appears as though his managing days may be through, as Shildt was worn down in every day from the day-to-day grind of running a team. Beyond just the on-the-field stress, Shildt said he received some death threats late in the season.

Since the news broke of Shildt’s departure on Monday, there have been multiple reports about discord among San Diego’s coaches. Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Shildt had a “very poor relationship” with some members of his coaching staff, with one coach almost coming to blows with the manager after the coach felt Shildt insulted him.

Acee also explored some of the internal criticisms leveled at Shildt by some Padres staffers, including the view that Shildt had a short temper and was too quickly heated over any questions about his decision-making or thought process. With Shildt giving the Padres players a wide berth to police their own clubhouse, Shildt was accused by some of micro-managing and being too harsh with his coaches and other team staff members.

“I can accept I had a high standard and I held people to a high standard for the betterment of the players and organization,” Shildt said. “That’s my job. I am completely aware I challenged the staff….I acknowledge and won’t apologize for having high standards. I own that. I had to have hard conversations with players and staff.”

“And of 80 people in a clubhouse, a high percentage of those, I was able to partner with and work toward a common goal. And clearly that was effective, as reflected by our record on the field. There are going to be people who are going to push back and you’re not going to please. And after trying to partner with people, I had to hold people accountable. I understand people don’t like that….That standard is very high for me, and I take it very seriously. To the point of burnout.”

As noted by Shildt himself, the criticisms of his approach were “eerily similar in the two places I’ve managed,” referring to his previous stint as the Cardinals’ manager from 2018-21. Shildt led the Cards to postseason appearances in his three full seasons as the Cards’ skipper, yet was surprisingly removed from his position following the 2021 campaign. Acee writes that multiple St. Louis coaches and staffers were threatening to quit their jobs if Shildt was brought back in 2022, which contributed to the Cardinals’ decision to part ways. The situation wasn’t quite this intense with the Padres’ staff, though Acee notes that “multiple coaches indicated they would leave if they found opportunities elsewhere.”

Still, Shildt was ultimately expected to return as manager in 2026, leaving the Padres now in the midst of another managerial search. Preller said there isn’t any timeline for hiring a new bench boss, which makes sense given how Shildt’s unexpected departure is still so fresh. The next hire will be the ninth different manager (both full-time and interim) to run the dugout since Preller took over the front office in August 2014, adding to the tumult of what has been a very eventful 11-plus years for the PBO.

Preller’s latest contract is up after the 2026 season, and he didn’t provide any details on extension talks apart from saying “I look forward to having conversations with [team chairman John Seidler] and the group here this offseason.” In Lin’s view, an extension could be a matter of time since there doesn’t appear to be any sense that Preller’s job is in danger. Despite the many ups and downs of Preller’s tenure, San Diego has reached the postseason four times in the last six seasons, after getting into the playoffs just five times in the franchise’s previous 51 years of existence.

Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager

By AJ Eustace | October 13, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

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.

Padres Expected To Retain Mike Shildt and A.J. Preller

By Charlie Wright | October 9, 2025 at 9:18pm CDT

San Diego was bumped from the postseason by the Cubs in the Wild Card round. Despite the early exit, the club is not looking to make major leadership changes on the field or in the front office. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that both manager Mike Shildt and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller are expected to maintain their roles heading into the 2026 season. Shildt has two years remaining on his contract after signing an extension last offseason. Preller is entering the final year of his deal.

The Padres have reached the playoffs in both seasons under Shildt. They beat the Braves in the Wild Card round last year before falling to the Dodgers in the NLDS. San Diego had earned a postseason berth just twice in the 21st century heading into the shortened 2020 season. They’ve now done it in four of the past six seasons.

Shildt took over in 2024 after Bob Melvin jumped ship to manage the Giants. He’s piled up 183 wins with the team. Shildt had previously helmed the Cardinals from 2018 to 2021. He first took over in an interim capacity after Mike Matheny was fired midway through the 2018 campaign. Shildt guided St. Louis to a 41-28 record and shed the interim label before the season ended. He took the Cardinals to the playoffs in the next three seasons, but was fired after 2022. He latched on with San Diego as a player development consultant and interim third base coach in 2023.

Preller has been with the team since 2014, first signing on as general manager. He was handed a contract extension ahead of the 2021 season and given the title of president of baseball operations. That previous extension came when Preller was entering the final year of his contract, which is the situation he finds himself in once again. Acee mentioned that some of the same sources that said Shildt and Preller would be back in 2026 also expect an extension for the latter to be announced soon.

Preller made waves immediately after taking over as the lead decision maker in San Diego. In his first offseason, he completely retooled the Padres’ outfield through trades for Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and Justin Upton. Preller then secured an elite closer by dealing for Craig Kimbrel. While the transaction-heavy winter didn’t translate to positive on-field results, as the Padres scuffled to a 74-88, it set the tone for Preller’s tenure. He’s been one of the more active executives over the past decade, both in the trade market and in free agency.

San Diego had its first winning season under Preller in 2020. The Padres received a Wild Card bid after going 37-23 in the shortened season. They dispatched the Cardinals (and Shildt) in the first round, their first postseason series win since 1998. Preller was back at it that offseason, revamping the pitching staff by trading for Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove.

Preller has inked some of the biggest contracts in history, including Manny Machado’s 10-year, $300MM deal and Xander Bogaerts’ 11-year, $280MM pact. San Diego’s payroll exceeded $250MM in 2023, though the club has trimmed down expenses in recent seasons. After coming in at around $211MM this past season, FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool estimates the Padres’ payroll at roughly $194MM for 2026.

San Diego is set to lose some key contributors this offseason. Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease are free agents, which will subtract from the top of the order and the top of the rotation. Robert Suarez is expected to opt out of the remaining two years on his contract. Preller already acquired a replacement for Suarez when he landed Mason Miller at the 2025 trade deadline, but he’ll need to find fill-ins for Arraez and Cease. The potential loss of Michael King, if either side declines their end of his mutual option, will press Preller to find multiple rotation options behind Nick Pivetta, Darvish, and eventually Musgrove (recovering from Tommy John surgery).

MLB Issues Suspensions Related To Dodgers-Padres Incidents

By Anthony Franco | June 20, 2025 at 6:32pm CDT

Major League Baseball has announced suspensions related to last night’s benches-clearing incident between the Padres and Dodgers. San Diego closer Robert Suarez was suspended three games for “intentionally hitting” Shohei Ohtani with a pitch. Suarez, who was also hit with an undisclosed fine, has elected to appeal and remains on the roster during that process.

Additionally, both managers were suspended for one game for “unsportsmanlike conduct and for contributing to inciting the benches-clearing incident.” Managers do not get an appellate right, so Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt will both be unavailable tonight. The Dodgers are hosting the Nationals, while the Padres welcome the Royals to Petco Park. Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic that bench coach Danny Lehmann will manage tonight’s game.

The suspensions are related but not all directly from the same sequence. The managers were suspended for their actions in the top of the ninth inning. Dodgers righty Jack Little, making his MLB debut, hit Fernando Tatis Jr. on his right hand with a 93 MPH fastball. It seems unlikely that Little intended to throw at Tatis, which is reflected in the league’s decision not to impose any discipline. (The Dodgers optioned Little back to Triple-A tonight.)

It was the second time that Tatis had been hit in the series, though. He’d also been hit with a pitch during these teams’ previous series one week before. The final beaning came at the end of a very tense four-game set. Dodger outfielder Andy Pages accused Dylan Cease of throwing at him on Monday. Tatis, Jose Iglesias and Ohtani were all plunked on Tuesday. Stephen Kolek drilled Pages again on Wednesday, and Lou Trivino had hit Bryce Johnson with a cutter earlier in Thursday’s game.

Shildt raced out of the dugout to check on Tatis after Little had plunked him. San Diego’s skipper had some choice words for the Dodger dugout along the way. That prompted Roberts to come onto the field. He got into Shildt’s face and bumped him, leading both dugouts to empty. Both managers were ejected. Tatis was removed from the game as an injury precaution. Little stayed in to finish the inning. The Padres had some trepidation about Tatis’ initial imaging results, but he’s fortunately back in the lineup tonight.

Suarez then came out of the bullpen for the bottom of the ninth. He hit Ohtani on the right shoulder with a 100 MPH fastball on a 3-0 count. That probably would’ve caused benches to clear again had Ohtani not quickly signaled to the L.A. dugout not to do so. Suarez and acting manager Brian Esposito were tossed by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. San Diego’s closer told reporters tonight through an interpreter that he did not intend to hit Ohtani (video provided by 97.3 The Fan). MLB disagreed and imposed the ban.

Padres Announce Contract Extension With Manager Mike Shildt

By Anthony Franco | November 6, 2024 at 11:00am CDT

November 6: The Padres made it official today, announcing that they have agreed to a two-year extension with Shildt to keep him through 2027.

November 5: The Padres are finalizing an extension with manager Mike Shildt that’ll keep him in San Diego through 2027, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller told reporters last month that the team would look to work out a new deal with their skipper, who signed a two-year contract when he was hired over the 2023-24 offseason.

San Diego tasked Shildt with stabilizing the clubhouse after Bob Melvin’s departure. Tension between Melvin and Preller reportedly played a role in the former’s decision to leave the Padres and take the managerial role in San Francisco. The Padres considered a few external candidates but opted to turn the reins to Shildt, who had been in the player development department for the preceding two seasons.

That came on a relatively short two-year commitment. Shildt oversaw an excellent rebound year after the Friars had underperformed during Melvin’s final season. The Padres went 93-69 to secure the top Wild Card spot in the National League. They won 11 more games than they had in ’23 despite trading Juan Soto and losing Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez in free agency.

It’s certainly not all a testament to the managerial change. The front office hit on the Soto return that landed Michael King and indirectly enabled them to acquire Dylan Cease. The Jurickson Profar signing was probably the best value pickup of the offseason. Jackson Merrill had a fantastic rookie year. The Padres also simply played better in one-run and extra-inning contests after faring terribly in those regards during the previous season.

All that said, it’s not hard to see why the Padres are making a longer commitment to Shildt after that season. San Diego played fantastic ball down the stretch and proved the Dodgers’ biggest challenge on their championship run. The Padres pushed L.A. to the brink of elimination in the Division Series after sweeping the Braves in the Wild Card round. Their season ended on a sour note, as Dodger pitching shut them out in consecutive games to win the series, but that was by far the closest anyone came to threatening Los Angeles. Seeing the Dodgers fairly easily knock off the Mets and Yankees to win the World Series hammers home how close the Padres were to fielding a championship-caliber roster in their own right.

Before landing in San Diego, Shildt spent three-plus seasons managing the Cardinals. He led St. Louis to a pair of 90-win campaigns and three straight playoff appearances between 2019-21. The Cards surprisingly moved on from him after the ’21 season, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak citing philosophical differences between Shildt and the front office. The 56-year-old has been fortunate to work with talented rosters, but his teams have posted excellent results at both stops. Shildt carries a career 345-268 managerial record, resulting in a .563 win percentage that translates to a roughly 91-win pace over a full season.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

Padres Plan To Discuss Extension With Mike Shildt

By Steve Adams | October 21, 2024 at 1:53pm CDT

Padres skipper Mike Shildt originally signed a two-year contract when hired to manage the club last offseason, but the club already has interest in keeping him around for a longer period. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller tells the Padres beat that the front office will sit down with Shildt and several members of the coaching staff to see if they can “line up” on a deal to keep them around on longer-term deals (X link via Annie Heilbrunn).

Under the 56-year-old Shildt, the Padres played at a 93-69 pace, good for second in the National League West and a Wild Card berth in the postseason. Shildt’s Padres topped the Braves 2-0 in the first round of postseason play before taking the archrival Dodgers to their limit in a thrilling, back-and-forth five-game National League Division Series. Ultimately, a Friars club that scored 21 runs over the first three games of the series was held scoreless in Games 4 and 5 alike.

Despite that disheartening finish to the season, Shildt’s first year in San Diego has to be considered a success. The Padres’ record improved by 11 games, and San Diego returned to postseason play after missing out on the heels of an 82-80 showing a year prior. As importantly, Shildt quickly won the clubhouse over. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune spoke to several Padres veterans late in the season — many of whom have been with the team for multiple prior managers — and each took the opportunity to heap praise onto the environment and culture that Shildt had brought to the clubhouse. Joe Musgrove, Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado have all played under three different managers in San Diego (four, in Machado’s case), and all effused praise for the job Shildt has done in his first season at the helm.

Of course, while Shildt was new to the Padres organization this season, this certainly wasn’t his first experience managing. He spent three and a half seasons leading the Cardinals’ dugout, and his dismissal in St. Louis registered as a legitimate shock following the 2021 season. Shildt had originally joined the Cardinals as a scout in 2003 before getting into minor league coaching and managing. In 2017, he was added to the big league staff as a quality control coach. He eventually became the team’s third base coach, then bench coach, and then interim manager following Mike Matheny’s firing. He soon shed the “interim” label and was extended on a three-year deal. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 2019.

In the weeks prior to Shildt’s own firing in St. Louis, the Cardinals had gone on an astonishing 17-game September winning streak to come roaring back into postseason contention. They lost a then one-game Wild Card date with the Dodgers, but Shildt was generally seen as an extension candidate following that 2021 campaign. Instead, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak cited “philosophical differences” in cutting ties with Shildt and promoting current skipper Oli Marmol to the post.

Shildt landed on his feet quickly. He took a job in the Commissioner’s Office, working in on-field operations alongside former Marlins general manager Michael Hill. Just six weeks later, he was hired as a player development consultant for the Padres and allowed to work in both roles simultaneously. San Diego had previously interviewed him for their managerial vacancy which wound up going to Bob Melvin, but Shildt received another interview two years later and this time landed the job on his current two-year contract.

Barring an extension, Shildt would head into next year as the proverbial and dreaded “lame duck” manager on an expiring contract, so it’s sensible enough that the Padres — who’ve now employed Shildt in some capacity for three years — are hopeful of solidifying his standing within the organization.

Quick Hits: Bieber, Niebla, Shildt, Cardinals

By Mark Polishuk | October 14, 2024 at 10:52pm CDT

Shane Bieber’s season was ended by a Tommy John surgery back in April, and he’ll now head into free agency with this big question mark attached to his health. It could be that Bieber ends up sticking with the Guardians, as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks “there’s interest on both sides” about a new contract. Since Bieber won’t be able to return to a big league mound until probably June or July, a new deal might just involve one guaranteed season with some type of option for the 2026 season, or potentially a two-year guarantee with a small salary in 2025 and then the majority of the money slated for 2026 when Bieber will presumably be able to complete a full season.

Similar contracts have emerged in the past for pitchers coming off major surgeries and facing reduced or non-existent workloads in the first year of the two-year pacts, and the reduced cost of such a trade has particular appeal for a lower-payroll team like the Guardians. A two-year guarantee would keep Bieber from entering free agency again until he is about to enter his age-32 season, though he might want to lock in some more guaranteed security now while he is still dealing with the uncertainty of his TJ rehab. From a baseball perspective, Bieber surely would be open to staying in a familiar environment and playing for another winning team, while bringing back Bieber for even a half-season could be a help for a very unsettled Guards rotation.

Padres Notes: Profar, Higashioka, De Vries, Salas

By Nick Deeds | October 13, 2024 at 2:19pm CDT

The postseason will move on without the Padres involved tonight when the Mets travel to Dodger Stadium for Game 1 of the NLCS, and the Padres now figure to turn their attention to building for the 2025 season. Among the top needs to address on the club’s offseason to-do list figures to be addressing the needs created by the possible departure of pending free agents. Infielder Ha-Seong Kim is perhaps the club’s most high-profile free agent, though between his recent surgery leaving questions regarding his market and San Diego’s considerable depth in the middle infield, left fielder Jurickson Profar and catcher Kyle Higashioka are likely higher priorities for the club to either return or replace.

In the case of Profar, the 31-year-old has made clear that he prefers to stay with the Padres. Profar told reporters (including MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell) yesterday that he hopes to return to San Diego next year before acknowledging that the decision isn’t “totally in [his] hands,” adding that the Padres “have got to want [him], too.”

After signing a one-year deal with the Padres over the offseason that guaranteed him just $1MM last year, Profar enjoyed a breakout season that is sure to earn him a significant pay raise headed into 2025. In 158 games with San Diego this year, Profar slashed an excellent .280/.380/.459 (139 wRC+) with 24 home runs, 10 steals, a strong 11.1% walk rate and an excellent 15.1% strikeout rate. That strong all-around play came together to create by far the most valuable season of Profar’s career as he posted 4.3 fWAR, leaving him sandwiched between Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker as the seventh most valuable outfielder in baseball this year.

That strong season should make Profar among the most interesting free agents of the winter. Valuable as his offense was this year, he provides virtually no defensive value as a below-average glove limited to left field and his track record on offense is spotty at best. Profar’s career wRC+ is actually below league average (99) even after this year’s phenomenal campaign, and even his 107 wRC+ since first joining San Diego in 2020 is closer to solid than spectacular for a player of Profar’s limited defensive value. If those possible red flags leave teams cautious about giving Profar a hefty guarantee, it’s certainly feasible to imagine the sides working something out to keep the veteran in San Diego going forward.

Of course, a Profar reunion would only serve to further elevate what already figures to be a complicated payroll picture for the Padres next year. The club is currently set to be on the hook for just over $207MM according to RosterResource next year, with a payroll of more than $243MM for luxury tax purposes. It’s possible that offseason trades or perhaps even a creative extension for an arbitration-level player like Luis Arraez could lower those numbers, but the Padres nonetheless appear likely to be nearing their payroll capacity even before reuniting with Profar or addressing the multiple holes in the club’s rotation.

That could leave the Padres needing to scrimp on other parts of the roster, particularly if they hope to retain Profar. One position where the club could look to save money is behind the plate, where Kyle Higashioka impressed in his final year before free agency with 17 homers in 263 trips to the plate for the Padres this year. Much like Profar, Higashioka indicated an interest in returning to the Padres as he heads into free agency, telling reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that he loved playing in southern California and that his time with the Padres has been the most fun he’s had with a team.

With Higashioka potentially in line for a hefty raise this winter, however, Acee suggests that San Diego brass could instead look to part ways with both him and Kim this winter as they wait for the impending arrival of the club’s top prospects. Catcher Ethan Salas entered the 2024 season as a consensus top-10 prospect in baseball after reaching the Double-A level as a 17 year old, but Acee notes that shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries, who turned 18 just two days ago, is even more highly regarded by Padres brass.

What’s more, Acee notes that there have been discussions within the organization about the possibility of both teenage phenoms making their big league debuts as soon as 2025. If the Padres truly believe both players could be ready for the majors sometime next year, that could incentivize them to focus on other areas of the roster this winter and stick to relatively short-term options behind the plate and at shortstop who could be pushed aside in the event that Salas or De Vries cracks the big league roster.

Of course, both players would need to rocket through the minor leagues at a breakneck pace to reach the majors next year. Salas spent the entire 2024 season at the High-A level and slashed a lackluster .206/.288/.311 in 111 games with the club, while De Vries slashed an excellent .238/.361/.442 across 75 games in his first taste of professional action this year but has not yet played above the Single-A level. While breakout rookie Jackson Merrill stands as an example of San Diego’s willingness to push top prospects aggressively, even he had nearly 50 games of success in the upper minors before cracking the big league roster.

Padres Name Mike Shildt Manager

By Steve Adams | November 21, 2023 at 11:30am CDT

11:30am: The Padres have announced the hiring of Shildt on a two-year contract.

“Mike is a proven winner as a manager at the Major League level, and he brings over two decades of experience in professional baseball to the position,” president of baseball ops A.J. Preller said in a prepared statement. “In his time here, Mike has displayed a strong baseball intellect, a passion for teaching the game, and has established relationships with players and staff at both the minor and Major League levels. We believe that Mike is the right person to lead the Padres forward in our continued pursuit of a World Series championship.”

10:48am: The Padres are set to name former Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt their new manager, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Dennis Lin of The Athletic adds that a formal announcement is expected today. Shildt has spent the past two seasons in the Padres’ player development department.

The Padres somewhat surprisingly wound up with a managerial vacancy this offseason after allowing now-former skipper Bob Melvin to interview with the Giants, who ultimately hired him and signed him to a three-year contract. He’d previously been under contract with the Padres through the 2024 season.

Shildt, 55, beat out a field of reported candidates including former Angels skipper Phil Nevin, current Padres bench coach Ryan Flaherty and Angels infield coach Benji Gil. Former Yankees bench coach, who was hired as the Mets’ manager earlier this month, also interviewed for the Padres post. San Diego had some level of interest in recently ousted Cubs skipper David Ross, though it’s not clear whether he ultimately interviewed for the position.

Shildt’s own ouster in St. Louis was something of a shocking development a couple years back. He’d been viewed as an extension candidate late in the season as the Cardinals rattled off 17 consecutive wins to surge back into postseason contention, and there’d been no public indication that Shildt’s job was in jeopardy. However, Cards president of baseball ops John Mozeliak cited “philosophical differences” for the rationale behind the move, with additional reported details filtering out in the days and weeks following the decision.

The dismissal of Shildt was particularly surprising given the Cardinals’ success under his watch. His St. Louis predecessor, Mike Matheny, was fired midseason in 2018 after a 47-46 start to the year. The Cards went 41-28 under Shildt to close out that season, and his next three years produced records of 91-71, 30-28 (during the pandemic-shortened season) and 90-72. Shildt was named the National League Manager of the Year in 2019 and finished third in 2021. Overall, he was 252-199 as the Cardinals’ skipper.

Shildt will now get a second crack at managing in the big leagues. His appointment in San Diego will somewhat incredibly make him the fourth full-time Padres manager in a span of just six years (and fifth if you include interim skipper Rod Barajas, who finished out the 2019 season after Andy Green was let go). San Diego hasn’t had a manager last more than three full seasons on the job since Bud Black helmed the club from 2007-15.

In addition to his time as the Cardinals’ manager, Shildt has a lengthy background in a baseball career that began as a scout in the early 2000s. He eventually was named a coach in the low levels of the Cardinals’ system, slowly rising through the ranks and holding a variety of coaching titles as he climbed the organizational ladder. The Cards added him to their Major League staff as Matheny’s bench coach in 2017. He’ll bring more than two decades of experience in scouting, coaching and player development to the table as the new dugout leader in San Diego.

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