From reliever to dugout boss, Craig Stammen takes the reins. The Padres shock baseball with their unexpected managerial choice.
The San Diego Padres shockingly saw manager Mike Shildt retire after the NLDS loss to the Chicago Cubs.
As such, they interviewed a few candidates, including Ryan Flaherty, Albert Pujols, and pitching coach Ruben Niebla.
Flaherty interviewed for the job last time before Shildt was hired, and Pujols interviewed with the Los Angeles Angels and even had a second interview with San Diego.
On Thursday, in the biggest surprise in a long time, the Padres hired Craig Stammen as the new manager and gave him a three-year contract.
Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune had the report, although Kentucky radio host Matt Jones had the initial report as he had heard from soruces.
Here is Jones' report.
The Padres then posted it on X that they gave him a three-year contract.
Stammen spent the last six seasons of his MLB career with the Padres as a reliever, and he was a special assistant in the player development department for the past three years.
Kevin Acee reported that the plan is for Niebla to stay as the pitching coach, but the Padres saw hitting coach Victor Rodriguez leave for the Houston Astros and third base coach Tim Leiper go to the New York Mets.
But, this is a stunning twist by the Padres, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.