Padres hire Mike Shildt after long managerial pursuit
Credit: USA Today Sports
The San Diego Padres hired a new manager.
After almost a month of searching for a replacement for the recently departed manager, Bob Melvin, the Padres have named internal candidate Mike Shildt their manager.
The news comes at a time for the Padres that is very comforting for a lot of fans and critics, who have been on edge after the passing of the Padres’ celebrated owner, Peter Seidler. Padres fans have not only been looking for some sort of captain since the death of Seidler but have also been looking for direction of the franchise.
While the hiring of Shildt doesn’t ease any of the pain of the passing of Seidler, it certainly points the Padres in a direction that points forward for the first time in over a month.
Shildt has a short yet decorated career as a manager, leading the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 through 2021 while winning a Manager of the Year award for the National League in 2019. Schildt led the Cardinals to a 91-71 record that year and grabbed the hearts of Cardinals’ fans with his fiery personality and ability to connect to players.
With the San Diego Padres, where he has been for the past two seasons, Shildt has worked with the major league team, as well as the minor league system for San Diego, developing connections and relationships along the way.
There are obviously a lot of questions still hovering over the San Diego Padres organization, including the pitching staff, the organizational structure, and what to do with Juan Soto’s expiring contract. However, the hiring of Shildt eases a lot of tension amongst the fanbase as to how the Padres are going to build a winner in the 2024 season.
As a manager, Shildt has performed well but still has a lot of questions to answer. Especially with the roster as star-studded yet incomplete as it is. However, with the exit of Bob Melvin to San Francisco Giants, this was one of the better-case scenarios the Padres could have hoped for.
Kevin is a San Diego Native covering the San Diego Padres and their affiliates