In a surprising move, Padres head coach Mike Shildt has announced he is resigning from the position, Kevin Assi of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Elsie added that the decision was Shildt’s. He has been coaching the club for two years and has two years left on his contract.
“The ordeal of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally,” Shildt wrote in a letter to the Union-Tribune. “While it has always been about serving others, now is the time for me to take care of myself and exit on my own terms.” He went on to thank the Padres, president of baseball operations AJ Preller and the players for their time with the team and wish them success in the future. In a statement released by the team, Preller said of Shildt: “His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will have an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Shildt, 57, has led the Padres to a 183-141 record (.565) since the start of 2024. The club made the playoffs both years, reaching the National League Division Series in 2024 and the Wild Card Series this year. During this period, the team achieved impressive results Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machadoand Jack Cronenworth Among other things, it was also seen Jackson Merrill. The club was tied for seventh in the league with a 107 wRC+. Since the start of 2024, the team ranks fifth in the majors in pitching with a 3.75 ERA and seventh in K-BB rate at 15.7%. That success includes strong performances from starters Dylan Seth, Michael Kingand Nick Pivettatogether with relievers Adrian Mohon and Robert Suarez. Without the perennially outstanding Dodgers, the Padres might have a chance to win first place in the National League West in the past two years. Even so, Shildt’s tenure in San Diego can hardly be considered a success.
Prior to coaching the Padres, Shildt served in various positions with the Cardinals, serving as quality control coach and third base coach in 2017 and bench coach in 2018. He was named interim head coach after Mike Martini was fired in July 2018 and became the official head coach in August of that year. He held the position through the 2021 season before leaving the organization due to what was called at the time “philosophical differences.” Shildt was hired by San Diego in a player development role in January 2022 and became head coach in November 2023 after Bob Melvin left the Giants. All told, he compiled a 435-340 (.561) record in parts of six seasons as a major league manager and finished in the top two for the NL Manager of the Year award twice, winning the award with the Cardinals in 2019 and finishing as runner-up with the Padres last year.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Shildt may not necessarily completely retire from baseball. On the contrary, he has no intention of continuing to manage in the near future at all. When asked about that possibility, Hieldt said, “Not right now. I need to take a break and take care of myself.” It wasn’t a definite statement that he would return to the dugout at some point, but Hieldt left the door open for potential future opportunities. A return under these circumstances is almost unprecedented. We’ve recently seen Bruce Bochy and Terry Francona return to major league coaching while being older than Shildt.
With the Padres now looking for a new captain, a shocking 10 of the 30 teams will enter 2026 with a different manager than they did when they started the 2025 season. President of baseball operations AJ Preller thanked Shildt for his “significant contributions to the Padres organization and the San Diego community over the past four years” in a press release this morning, adding that a search for a new manager will begin immediately.
