The San Diego Padres hired former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt to fill their own position, the team announced on Tuesday.
Shildt spent more than three years as the Cardinals’ skipper. The two parted ways after the 2021 season following St. Louis’ 90-win year. He guided the team to two 90-win seasons as the full-time manager and was the 2019 National League Manager of the Year.
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"Mike is a proven winner as a manager at the Major League level, and he brings over two decades of experience in professional baseball to the position," said A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations and general manager.
"In his time here, Mike has displayed a strong baseball intellect, a passion for teaching the game, and has established relationships with players and staff at both the minor and Major League levels. We believe that Mike is the right person to lead the Padres forward in our continued pursuit of a World Series championship."
Shildt replaces Bob Melvin, who left for the San Francisco Giants earlier in the offseason. Melvin had a year left on his contract but a fractured relationship with Preller appeared to be the catalyst for his departure.
In 2022, Shildt joined the Padres in a player development role and briefly served as the team’s third-base coach when Matt Williams needed colon-cancer surgery.
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The Padres hope Shildt will be the one to turn around the Padres after a few years of spending big in free agency with little to show for it.
San Diego made it to the National League Championship Series during the 2022 season but lost in five games. The Padres finished 82-80 this season but missed out on the playoffs.
The team will go through some changes in the offseason with Blake Snell likely to leave and Juan Soto being involved in trade rumors. The team should have Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup and at full health in 2024.
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