Padres make shocking managerial hire in former reliever Craig Stammen

So much for the value of managerial experience.

The Padres hired special assistant and former reliever Craig Stammen to be their manager on Thursday, signing him to a three-year contract in a twist despite the 41-year-old having never managed or coached.

He replaces Mike Shildt, who retired after the season.

“Craig has been a strong presence in our organization for nearly a decade,” Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller said, per MLB.com. “He possesses deep organizational knowledge and brings natural leadership qualities to the Manager’s chair. 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.”

This hiring is quite the curveball from the Padres, seemingly coming out nowhere since his name did not surface in reports regarding the team’s search.

Stammen retired in August 2023 following a six-year run with the franchise from 2017-22.

He returned in 2024 in a “hybrid coaching post” that spanned the majors and minors, per the San Diego Union-Tribune, with the title of special assistant to the major league staff and baseball operations.

Stammen’s role had him working with minor leaguers and the big leaguers, and he supposedly won over Padres star third baseman Manny Machado, per the Union-Tribune.

“In his six seasons pitching for the Padres, he grew to possess a leadership role that was extremely rare for a middle reliever, serving as a mentor and sounding board in all corners of the clubhouse,” the Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee wrote Thursday.

The Padres apparently did not place much emphasis on experience in their search, with all four candidates who received in-person interviews having zero managerial experience, per the outlet.

Stammen beat out Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley and Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla for the gig, according to the Union-Tribune.

Sources told the publication the team valued Stammen’s leadership and communications skills, and he will inherit a roster that reportedly features six players he played alongside.

The Padres are coming off a second-place 90-72 season that ended with a three-game wild-card series loss to the Cubs, but they already received a tough offseason blow with starting pitcher Yu Darvish being lost for the 2026 season due to right elbow surgery.

All-Star closer Robert Suarez also opted out of his contract and is a free agent.

Stammen spent his entire major league career with the Padres and Nationals, pitching for Washington from 2009-15 before pitching in the Guardians’ minor league system in 2016.

He returned to the majors with the Padres in 2017 and posted a 3.36 ERA across six years.

With the Padres’ opening now filled, it leaves just the Rockies in search of a new skipper.

The Rangers, Braves, Twins, Angels, Giants, Nationals and Orioles all previously filled their vacancies.