The San Diego Padres have hired former reliever Craig Stammen to be their manager.
Stammen got a three-year contract Thursday to begin his first managerial job at any level of the sport.
The longtime right-handed reliever retired from his playing career with the Padres in August 2023, and he spent last season as an assistant to the major league coaching staff and the baseball operations department headed by general manager A.J. Preller.
The 41-year-old Stammen replaces Mike Shildt, who retired Oct. 13 after just two seasons in charge. The Padres won at least 90 games and made the playoffs in both seasons under Shildt, who cited burnout and exhaustion in announcing his departure.
The Padres conducted a deliberate search for Shildt’s replacement, interviewing the likes of Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley and longtime San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Stammen is the Padres’ fifth full-time manager since the start of the 2016 season.
Stammen pitched seven seasons for the Washington Nationals and six more for the Padres during his playing career, serving as a reliever for all but his first two big league seasons. He was known for his effective sinker.
The Padres are enjoying their longest stretch of success in franchise history with four playoff appearances in the past six years behind stars Fernando Tatís Jr. and Manny Machado. But Preller must make several major roster decisions in the upcoming weeks with key players due to hit free agency and the likely loss of significant pitching talent from last season’s 90-win club.
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