The San Diego Padres named former relief pitcher Craig Stammen to be their next manager on Thursday.
Stammen takes over for Mike Shildt, who retired from the role after San Diego’s National League Wild Card Series loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Shildt managed the Padres for two years. The Padres have not had a manager for longer than four seasons sinc Bud Black from 2007-15.
Stammen pitched 13 seasons in the major leagues from 2009-23, including his final six for the Padres. He had recently been working as a special assistant to president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.
The 41-year-old agreed to a three-year contract.
“He possesses deep organizational knowledge and brings natural leadership qualities to the manager’s chair,” Preller said in a press release. “As both a player and in his post-playing career, Craig has displayed an ability to elevate those around him. His strength of character, competitive nature and talent for bringing people together make him the ideal choice to lead the Padres.”
Albert Pujols, Nick and Ruben Niebla were also considered candidates for the role.
Craig Stammen joins new group of NL West managers
Stammen is the second manager hired by a National League West club this offseason. The San Francisco Giants poached former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello as their next skipper in an unprecedented move for a college coach to jump right into skippering a big league club.
The Colorado Rockies remain undecided on what their front office and managerial openings will look like after a 119-loss season. Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye had been in the running for Colorado’s general manager position, but he is reportedly no longer on consideration.
The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, opted to retain manager Torey Lovullo for a 10th season. Lovullo is the second-longest tenured manager in the division, as Dave Roberts has led the Dodgers since 2016, winning the division in nine of his first 10 years.
The Padres are coming off a second-place finish in the division, having won 90 games and falling short of dethroning the 93-win Dodgers. The club has reached the postseason in four of the last six years, but it has not advanced to the NLCS since 2022.
San Diego has many moving parts this offseason in addition to hiring a new manager.
Starting pitchers Michael King and Dylan Cease, closer Robert Suarez, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, outfielder Ramon Laureano and infielder Luis Arraez are all free agents. Starter Yu Darvish is set to miss all of 2026 with elbow surgery.
The Diamondbacks will first take on the Padres next season on April 25. Arizona went 5-8 against San Diego in 2025.
