Credit: ESPN
The San Diego Padres have reportedly called Albert Pujols about their managerial opening.
As reports of the San Diego Padres contacting Albert Pujols for their managerial vacancy circulate, many fans are intrigued by the possibility of the future Hall of Famer taking over as the club’s new skipper.
A report from Mike Rodriguez on X states that his sources have informed him the team has reached out to Albert Pujols for their managerial position, which Mike Shildt just vacated.
According to my sources, the San Diego Padres have called future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols with interest in interviewing him for the team’s manager position. #albertopujols #Padres pic.twitter.com/Jsa7CDnk5u
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) October 16, 2025
The former manager’s retirement from the position has left many unclear about the club’s future, as the move was seen as unexpected. After two successful regular seasons, during which the team won 90 games back-to-back for the first time in franchise history, the expectations are higher for the next person at the helm.
Albert Pujols lacks the major league experience as a coach that may be desired for the team’s contention window. However, he does not lack the championship caliber this team needs to take it over the hump.
Pujols’ resume as a player is well known as one of the greatest right-handed hitters in league history and one of the very few members of the 700 Home Run Club. His reputation is well known throughout the baseball world. He commands immediate respect as a player in any clubhouse. A benefit of this is the ripple-down effect it would have on the team’s current leaders. Manny Machado has spoken of Pujols as an idol of his growing up. It would be safe to think that this would apply to the team’s many other Latino players, as being bilingual would naturally allow him to connect with them without a language barrier.
As for Pujols’ managerial experience, he has been very successful in a short amount of time.
Pujols was the manager of the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Republic in their 2024-25 season. Along with bench coach and former big leaguer Placido Polanco, Pujols led the Leones to a league championship in his first and only season. The team snuck their way into the playoffs with the last playoff spot, where they grabbed a championship spot after the league’s round robin playoff format. In a thrilling Game 7, star Junior Caminero hit a go-ahead home run in a clip that made rounds on social media, and the team held on to win over their dominant opponents, Tigres del Licey. Pujols would then go on to manage Esogido to a championship win in the 2025 Caribbean Series against Mexico as well.
Pujols recently had an interview where he told a story about how he was originally only supposed to play third base for 10 games, based on the permission given by the Tampa Bay Rays. Pujols goes on to say that he personally called manager Kevin Cash to plead for permission to have him for the entire season because he needed him. He stated he promised Cash that he would return Caminero a better player than the one he was given, and he seems to have made good on his word.
Junior Caminero enjoyed a breakout season, becoming a first-time all-star and slugging 45 home runs —just one away from a club record —with a 131 OPS+ in his age-21 season. Pujols says that they instilled hard work in Caminero to help elevate him as a player, which has paid dividends.
This approach can become extremely beneficial for the Padres, especially with their crop of star players.
His connection to the team’s two biggest stars, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., along with other young players like Jackson Merrill, can create a different kind of environment for the team. Padres players seemingly had a close relationship with former manager Mike Shildt, who offers the unique experience of a former player who has done everything possible in baseball, providing direct coaching and advice from a player’s perspective. Many former players do become coaches, but very few of this caliber do. When you consider the possibility of other retired players, such as Pujols’ former teammates Placido Polanco and Yadier Molina, potentially joining as coaches, the championship experience of the staff can elevate the roster and push them to become better versions of themselves. For a team that is looking to get over the hump of playoff failures, this can become an invaluable asset on all sides of the ball.
The Padres have several options, both internally and externally, to fill their managerial opening. Pujols is considered a wild card but has been reported to have interest from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Baltimore Orioles. The argument can be made that the Padres have the most enticing opportunity to win now with star players, a good supporting staff of current coaches, and a general manager who will make moves to add to the roster. This is a unique opportunity that could usher in a new era for Padres baseball and Pujols’ already legendary career.
30
East Coast Based
Dominican
Continue Reading