In the kind of twist that has been a hallmark of A.J. Preller’s tenure as general manager, the San Diego Padres on Thursday announced they had promoted special assistant and former reliever Craig Stammen to manager, filling the vacancy left behind when Mike Shildt resigned last month.
Stammen, 41, received a three-year deal to become a rookie manager for a veteran team and the sixth full-time manager under Preller, whose recently uncertain contract status appears to be coming into focus. Preller has spoken with team chairman John Seidler about a multiyear extension, with club sources indicating the Padres intend to finalize a new deal for their president of baseball operations before or around the time Stammen is formally introduced Monday at Petco Park.
Preller’s latest choice in a manager was far from unprecedented — the president of baseball operations had previously employed Andy Green and Jayce Tingler as first-time managers — but it still surprised many throughout the industry and more than a few members of the organization. According to team sources, Stammen did not initially put himself forward as a candidate and even helped the Padres interview others early in their search. The former reliever, who spent half of his 12 seasons with San Diego and the past two years as a special assistant to baseball operations and the major-league coaching staff, does not have any formal coaching or managerial experience.
And unlike some other clubs that recently hired rookie managers, the Padres will not offer a soft landing. Instead, Stammen inherits a talented but aging roster coming off consecutive 90-win seasons.
Stammen is San Diego’s third manager since Tingler was fired after the 2021 season. The last two managers, veterans Bob Melvin and Shildt, voluntarily left the organization, with Shildt citing his health as the primary reason when he announced his resignation in early October.
“Experience always is a big factor,” Preller said in an interview on the team’s flagship radio station, 97.3 The Fan, shortly after Stammen’s promotion was announced. “I think you look throughout the league — successful managers come from all different areas. … But again, it’s more about the person, the individual and the fit with the team.
“Craig’s got those attributes in terms of leadership and character and organizational knowledge and (is) somebody that’s very talented. I think, for those reasons, we felt like he was the guy that we want.”
Stammen is as familiar to Preller as any managerial candidate the executive has interviewed over the past decade. In late 2016, more than a year after he underwent flexor-tendon surgery as a member of the Washington Nationals bullpen, Stammen signed a minor-league deal with the Padres. He broke camp with the team the next spring, returning to the majors after a lengthy hiatus, and went on to establish himself as a middle-relief fixture in San Diego. Across six seasons, Stammen compiled a 3.36 ERA, served as a popular leader in the bullpen and clubhouse, and gained the respect of Padres stars such as Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Soon after a shoulder injury forced his retirement in 2023, Stammen took on a different role in the front office, primarily working in player development and spending time around the big-league club. Each of the past two seasons, he and fellow former players A.J. Ellis and Allen Craig held the title of special assistant to the major-league staff and baseball operations.
“Those three guys have a ton of experiences and have been around the Padre organization,” Preller said. “They were involved with Mike and the staff on a lot of the conversations and help (in) messaging certain things to players and to staff members. So, they’re pretty familiar with the current processes.”
According to team and league sources, the Padres’ early-round candidates included pitching coach Ruben Niebla, bench coach Brian Esposito, special assistant Mark Loretta, Texas Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley, St. Louis Cardinals icon Albert Pujols, Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. Then, after the Padres approached him with the idea, Stammen went from helping interview candidates to interviewing for the job himself. He eventually joined Niebla, Hundley and Pujols in receiving in-person meetings with an array of club officials, including Preller, Seidler, CEO Erik Greupner and assistant general manager Josh Stein.
Ellis, who remains widely viewed as a future manager, declined an opportunity to interview for the job. Meanwhile, Stammen impressed team employees with his knowledge, acumen and embracing of traditional and analytical approaches to the sport, confirming pre-existing beliefs that he could one day manage in the big leagues.
That day has come sooner than many expected, and with considerable challenges. The Padres, after bowing out in each of the past two Octobers, are still seeking their first World Series title. Machado and Tatis continue to headline a core that includes Jackson Merrill and Joe Musgrove, but San Diego’s window to contend might not stay open for much longer. The team’s flexibility is limited by several nine-figure contracts, including one with Yu Darvish, the 39-year-old starter who last week underwent an elbow surgery that ended his 2026 season before it began.
Stammen, who played with Machado, Tatis and Musgrove, will not experience much managerial success if the Padres don’t address their starting pitching, their greatest current need. He should at least have significant help with handling the staff. Niebla, who was considered the runner-up for the job, is under contract for the next two years. Bullpen coach Ben Fritz has drawn interest from other clubs, but he also is expected to stay in San Diego through at least 2026 after recently signing what league sources described as a lucrative extension.
Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, who had a year left on his contract, is leaving to join the Houston Astros. Third-base coach Tim Leiper could soon be announced in a similar role with the New York Mets. Especially after Rodriguez’s departure, some around the team believe the Padres need to add a coach who can naturally connect with Machado, Tatis and other Latin American players in the clubhouse. Given Stammen’s lack of experience, hiring a bench coach with big-league managerial experience could be another priority.
“There’s a lot of good that’s been in place. I mean, obviously, we won a lot of games the last couple of years,” Preller said. “So I think the fact that Craig’s aware of that, has been part of that, has seen that — I think he’s going to have his own tweak on certain things, as he should. I think the whole point of this process is how do we take this to the next level? We’ve been a team that’s been in the playoffs and won 90-plus (games) and challenged for titles. How do we take that to a team that is playing on that big stage in October and playing in World Series games?”
With so much at stake, Stammen’s hiring Thursday drew a range of reactions from around the sport. Some included happiness for the former pitcher — he was beloved in the Nationals organization, too — and shock at his new appointment. Stammen possesses far more big-league experience than new San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello, but on Opening Day, both men will embark on the daunting task of challenging the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers as rookie managers in the rugged National League West.
The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli contributed to this report.
