Padres manager Mike Shildt announces retirement after just 2 seasons in charge

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Mike Shildt is retiring after two seasons as the San Diego Padres’ manager.

The Padres confirmed the 57-year-old Shildt’s decision Monday. In a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shildt said he is retiring because “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”

Shildt went 183-141 and led San Diego to two postseason appearances during his brief tenure. The Padres won 90 games this season and finished second in the NL West before being eliminated by the Chicago Cubs this month in a tense three-game wild-card playoff series.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller issued a statement praising Shildt.

“His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter,” Preller said.

Preller will begin looking immediately for his fifth full-time manager since taking over the Padres' front office in 2014.

Before joining the Padres organization in early 2022 as a player development coach, Shildt was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-21, posting a winning record in each of his three full seasons. He was the NL Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading the Cards to 91 wins, the NL Central title and an NLCS appearance.

Shildt won at least 90 games in each of his four 162-game seasons with St. Louis and San Diego, and his teams made the playoffs in every one of his five full seasons in charge.

But Shildt said he began to contemplate retirement during the current season, and he finalized his decision after the Padres' painful elimination at Wrigley Field. San Diego's high-priced roster scored just five total runs in its three games in Chicago.

“While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my terms,” Shildt wrote.

Shildt, who never played professional baseball, took over in San Diego in November 2023 after Bob Melvin left the Padres to manage the San Francisco Giants, who fired him last month.

Melvin, Shildt and Jayce Tingler — who managed the Padres from 2020-21 — have presided over the longest stretch of sustained contention in team history despite the turnover in the dugout. The Padres have made four playoff appearances in the last six seasons and won four playoff series, reaching the NLCS in 2022.

The Padres have also persevered after the death of popular owner Peter Seidler, whose aggressive spending and charisma energized the San Diego fan base and powered Preller's ability to build a long-struggling team into a consistent winner. John Seidler became the Padres' chairman after his brother's death in November 2023.

The Padres’ new manager will be the eighth person to lead the dugout since Preller fired Bud Black in June 2015. Their chief rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been managed by San Diego County product Dave Roberts since November 2015.

San Diego becomes the eighth MLB team with a managerial opening and the ninth to change managers in this offseason. Texas has already hired Skip Schumaker, but there are openings with the Padres, Angels, Braves, Orioles, Twins, Giants, Nationals and Rockies.

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