Mike Shildt’s exit spotlights the Padres’ decade of managerial turmoil

Former Padres manager Mike Shildt’s departure had a lot to do with the pressure mounted on him by Preller and the front office as he tried to manage a team that was in win-now mode. But the 57-year-old manager shut down the rumors that the relationship between them was strained. “That wasn’t it,” he stated.

“Just took it out of me,” Shildt said. “Just looked in the mirror and knew I didn’t have it in me to do what it takes to lead another 90-plus win season and World Series run."

Mike Shildt’s exit lays bare the Padres’ ten-year leadership problem

Ever since the tenure of Bud Black (2007–2015), San Diego has seen six skippers over the past ten years (seven if you include interims). If you do the math, that’s almost one manager for every two seasons. This has been a common trend for the Padres, as the team has been able to hold down a single manager for more than two years only once.

List of Padres managers since 2015

• Pat Murphy (2015)
• Dave Roberts (interim 2015)
• Andy Green (2016-2019)
• Rod Baraja (2016-2019)
• Jayce Tingler (2020-2021)
• Bob Melvin (2022-2023)
• Mike Shildt (2024-2025)

To make matters worse for the Padres, Dave Roberts (interim), Pat Murphy, and Bob Melvin are all managing teams of their own in 2025. Roberts and Murphy are both having incredibly successful seasons, as the two are facing off against each other in the NLCS.

San Diego is a very attractive destination for a manager, as they have an elite corps of players who are all under contract together through 2033. Not to mention managing games at Petco Park, a stadium that has one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in the sport.

A.J. Preller has a large pair of shoes to fill, as Mike Shildt managed the games flawlessly. It will be interesting to see what he does.