The Padres on Tuesday hired Mike Shildt as the 23rd manager in franchise history, agreeing to a two-year contract with the 55-year-old who spent the past two seasons as a senior advisor with the club.
They will introduce Sheldt in a press conference at Petco Park on Tuesday afternoon.
In his first term as a big league manager, Shildt led the Cardinals from 2018 to 2021 after spending more than a decade as a coach in the St. Louis system. He earned the 2019 NL Manager of the Year award and made the playoffs in each of his three full seasons while earning Manager of the Year honors in all four seasons, including his interim campaign.
“Mike is a proven winner as a manager at the Major League level and he brings over two decades of professional baseball experience to this position,” Padres general manager AJ Preller said in a statement. “During his time here, Mike has demonstrated strong baseball intelligence, a passion for teaching the game and has built relationships with players and staff at both the minor and major league levels. We believe Mike is the right person to lead the Padres in our continued pursuit of a World Series championship.”
Shildt’s hiring comes less than a month after former San Diego manager Bob Melvin accepted the San Francisco manager’s job after the Padres allowed him to interview with the Giants.
That began a four-week process in which the Padres interviewed several candidates, including offensive coordinator/bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Angels infield coach Benji Gil and former Angels manager Phil Nevin. Shildt and Flaherty were considered favorites for the position, and it remains unclear whether Flaherty will remain on Shildt’s staff at the organization.
Shildt is tasked with leading a Padres team looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season. Despite World Series ambitions, San Diego finished the season 82-80 and missed the postseason.
The offseason will undoubtedly bring some reshuffling. However, most of the Padres core is expected to remain intact, particularly on offense. Shildt, who has spent the last two seasons with the club, is already familiar with this core.
Preller seemed to like that in the hiring process. Shildt will be the first of Preller’s five full-time managers, with whom he previously worked in the major leagues.
“We’re definitely thinking about it,” Preller said last week. “… People who know our players, know our situation, know our organization – that’s definitely an advantage.”
The hiring process was paused last week while the organization mourned the death of chairman Peter Seidler, who died last Tuesday of unknown causes. Owner Eric Kutsenda was named chairman and interim controller on Friday.
It remains unclear which coaches will return to Shildt’s staff, although Preller recently confirmed that Ruben Niebla, who is under contract through the 2024 season, would return as pitching coach.