Craig Stammen Tabbed as Mike Shildt's Replacement, Will Manage San Diego Padres in 2026

[Brandon Glick]

In a shocking bit of news, the San Diego Padres announced the Craig Stammen will take over as manager of the franchise in 2026. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune was the first to break the news.

“Craig has been a strong presence in our organization for nearly a decade,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said in the press release. “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.”

The Friars had a managerial opening after Mike Shildt surprisingly stepped down following the team's loss in the NL Wild Card Round to the Chicago Cubs. Rumored candidates included Albert Pujols (the presumed favorite until this point), former Padres catcher Nick Hundley, and current pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Stammen hadn't been mentioned in any serious rumors until a few hours before the official announcement was made.

Stammen pitched for 13 years in the big leagues, including the final six seasons of his career with the Padres. He accumulated a 3.36 ERA and 5.5 WAR with the team in nearly 400 innings as a middle reliever, and he notably spent the final season of his career (2022) under Niebla's watch. The 41-year-old also pitched for the Washington Nationals during his career.

Since retiring, the former pitcher rejoined the organization as an assistant to the major league coaching staff and baseball operations department prior to the 2024 season. He clearly garnered the favor of A.J. Preller during that time, as he came out of nowhere to win this job. Many expected an experienced name with a long coaching history to replace Shildt, though the front office clearly wanted a younger, fresher voice in the locker room after they reportedly butted heads with the recently-retired manager.

Notably, ever since the team fired Bud Black in the middle of the 2015 season, they've gone through seven managers (including interims), only one of whom (Bob Melvin in 2022) even got as far as the NLCS. For all the brilliant minds that have ran the dugout in San Diego over the past decade, none of have been able to last longer than Andy Green's four-year tenure. There has been a signifiant lack of postseason success under Preller's watch, which raises questions about how long Stammen's leash will be as a first-time manager.

One interesting piece of fallout from this will be what happens to Niebla; he's been with the team for four years as pitching coach, and he's expressed interest of becoming a big league manager in the past. As a rumored finalist, might he want out after being passed over for a former disciple?

Regardless, Stammen inherits a veteran-laden roster with a lot of talent but more questions than answers. The pitching staff is especially in flux; Joe Musgrove is returning from a year-long layoff, Yu Darvish is set to miss all of 2026 with an elbow injury, and Michael King and Dylan Cease may depart in free agency. Even the team's elite bullpen seems set to lose closer Robert Suarez after he opted out of his contract.

Still, the Padres, who have made the playoffs four times in the past six seasons, won 90+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history under Shildt's watch. There will be immediate expectations placed on Stammen to get the most out of this group, even as an inexperienced skipper.

View full article