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With the sudden retirement of Mike Shildt, the San Diego Padres are in search of a new manager for the fourth time in the past six seasons.
With Mike Shildt choosing to retire from managing after a successful but tumultuous tenure leading the Padres, GM A.J. Preller and Co. are in search of a new voice to lead the dugout.
Despite the smoke surrounding external options for one of the league’s more enticing managerial openings, the team has a slew of internal candidates likely for the managerial vacancy. These are their stories.
Esposito has spent the past four seasons in the Padres organization, with his last two coming as the team’s bench coach. Esposito is one of few internal options with previous managerial experience, albeit at the minor league level. Esposito spent 2022 as the manager of the Padres’ High-A affiliate in Fort Wayne, his only managing experience in the Padres organization. Before coming to San Diego, Esposito spent parts of seven seasons as a minor league manager in the Pirates organization, doubling as a catching instructor. Esposito is clearly well-regarded in the organization, as he has worked a litany of roles in his four years with the Padres. If a managerial search remains internal, keep an eye out on his name.
Ruben Niebla
Arguably one of the most popular candidates within the organization, Niebla has been such an important piece in the Padres’ recent success. Hired before the Padres hired a manager back in the 2021-22 offseason, Niebla has managed to get the most out of his pitching staffs, and has played a critical role in the breakouts of pitchers like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Nick Pivetta. The Padres’ pitching staff has consistently been in the top half of the league under Niebla’s leadership, and his leadership has shown traits of a future manager. Niebla’s pitchers are vocal in their support of their pitching coach, and while the pitching coach-to-manager pipeline is somewhat barren, Niebla could the next to fill such shoes.
San Diego brought in the former Mariners skipper this past season as a special assistant for player development, a move similar to how they brought Mike Shildt into the organization. Servais spent eight-plus seasons managing the Mariners after being an assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels. In his time managing the Mariners, Servais finished with a winning record in five of his eight full seasons, but made the playoffs only once during his tenure. Servais has managed veteran-heavy teams, as well as teams with young talents coming up the pipeline. Servais could be a dark-horse candidate for the managerial opening, as his past managerial experience stands to be a factor in the search.
Loretta might have limited coaching experience, but the former Padres second baseman has been working with the Padres in some capacity for most of the last 15 years. Loretta spent one season as the Cubs’ bench coach back in 2019 and has also coached the Israeli national baseball team in the past. While his coaching experience is limited, his connections to the franchise are definitely strong, and a first-time manager is not always a bad hire. Loretta’s path in the Padres organization is somewhat akin to that of former skipper Bruce Bochy.
The longtime MLB backup catcher, Ellis, might be the biggest sleeper pick of those in the organization. Ellis was always renowned as a very cerebral player during his time on the field, and there is some steam behind him as a potential future manager within the organization. Since 2024, Ellis has been an assistant at both the major and minor league levels, familiarizing himself with all levels of the organization. While some may be unenthused by Ellis due to his association with the Dodgers franchise as a player, does it really matter where a baseball mind comes from if they can help the franchise?
Probably the longest shot of any name listed here, Stammen was a mainstay of the late 2010s Padres. After a shoulder injury forced his retirement, Stammen joined the Padres’ front office in a role like A.J. Ellis’. Stammen was a key factor in the Padres’ bullpen success, and his veteran presence as a player earned him respect among teammates. The ultimate team player during his Padres career, Stammen showed traits of being a future coach/manager, and it is not out of the question that he could play a role on the next skipper’s staff, possibly even as the manager.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.
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