The San Diego Padres have hired former reliever Craig Stammen as their manager for the next three years. Stammen played for the club as recently as 2022 before retiring and then signing a deal with the team in 2024 to become an assistant to the Padres’ coaching staff and baseball operations.
The latter half of Stammens’ major league career was spent with the Padres, spanning across 333 games. In that time, he would attain a 3.36 ERA across 394 1/3 innings pitched with 373 strikeouts. Counting his time in the big leagues and the organization, this will be his 10th year with the Padres.
Why the Padres Hired Stammen
The sudden departure of former Padres Manager Mike Shildt left the club in a unique position following their first-round exit from the 2025 Playoffs. Several talented candidates made themselves available for a coaching position at a club. This included pitching coach Ruben Niebla, St. Louis Cardinals royalty Albert Pujols and Texas Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.
Of the names publicly floated around, Stammen did not appear anywhere. However, according to AJ Preller, the choice was obvious. “Honestly, we realized it when he was playing,” said Preller, “Whatever he was doing — whether it was pitching or coaching or managing — you want this guy in your organization in a leadership role.”
“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 in a statement. “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,” said the club.
Stemmen is the Padres’ 24th manager and inherits a star-studded team with ambitions of winning it all.
An introductory press conference for Stammen will be held on Monday, November 10 at 10 am Pacific.
One Down, More To Go
Alongside losing their manager, the Padres have several other roles to fill. Hitting coach Victor Rodrigez is leaving the organization to work with the Houston Astros. In addition, the Padres could potentially lose a large batch of key roster spots to free agency this offseason. This includes pitchers Dylan Cease, Michael King, Robert Suarez and three-time batting champion Luis Arraez.
Thirteen players were tendered a qualifying offer before the five-day post-World Series window. This includes Cease and King, who each received a one-year, $22.025 million deal for 2026.
Pitching is almost always a sore spot for any club looking to break its way into the playoffs, and the Friars are no exception. This same week, Japanese-born pitcher Yu Darvish announced he underwent surgery this offseason, confirming he will miss the entirety of the 2026 season.
The only silver lining to this is that hometown hero Joe Musgrove will return to the club this season, as he underwent Tommy John surgery during last year’s playoff stint.
For the time being, it’s too early to call how similar the Padres club will look to last year’s 90–win team. That said, the front office appears hard at work at reshaping the future of their franchise.
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