On Wednesday, the San Diego Padres announced that former manager Bud Black and former player Wil Myers have both been hired into front office positions within the organization. Black will serve as a senior advisor to baseball operations while Myers will be a special assignment coach in the player development department.
Bud Black served as Padres manager from 2007-2015 and was named National League Manager of the Year in 2010. He went 649-713 during his time as manager of the Padres. Black was fired by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller after taking over as general manager of the team. Black then went to manage the Colorado Rockies from 2016 to May of 2025, when he was let go. Black is the second winningest manager in Padres history next to Bruce Bochy and was the manager in 2015 when Myers began his Padres career after being moved over in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Black was fired by Preller after a 32-33 start to the 2015 season. The Black/Myers crossover was limited to the first two months of that season.
Wil Myers played eight of his 11 major league seasons with the Padres, from 2015-2022, and was an All-Star in 2016. He played first base and the outfield while hitting .254/.330/.451 with 134 homers as a Padre. After playing out his six-year, $83 million contract at the end of 2022, Myers played one more season as a Cincinnati Red and announced his retirement from baseball in December of 2024.
Myers was a fan favorite during his time with the team and has gone down in Padres lore for his last actions after his last home game. After winning a home playoff game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, Myers and his wife hit the East Village outside of Petco Park and bought rounds of drinks for fans in a neighboring bar. His actions went viral and that was the last any Padres fan saw of Myers as a Padre.
Most Padres fans will be happy to see two more of their favorite former Padres come back to the team. This follows the move made March of 2025, when the Padres brought Padres Hall of Famer and former Cy Young Award winner, Jake Peavy, back as a special assistant to the CEO. He lives and works full-time elsewhere (analyst on MLB Network) but assists CEO Erik Greupner on special projects and serves as an ambassador for the team.
Bringing former fan favorites back is a great public relations move for the team and also gives fans a chance to interact with them again. Look for some interviews coming up with both as they transition into their new roles.