The San Diego Padres rewarded Mike Shildt, the fifth full-time manager to work under president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, with a two-year extension Wednesday. Shildt, whose previous contract was set to expire after the 2025 season, now has a deal through 2027. In 2024, he and Preller provided reason to think their partnership could have rare staying power in San Diego.
Alignment between the two men was noticeable throughout the second-winningest season in franchise history. An abrupt exit from October still found the Padres in a far different place than they were less than 12 months earlier, when three-time manager of the year Bob Melvin was allowed to leave for the rival San Francisco Giants.
“Just a really strong year for Mike in that chair as a manager,” Preller said on Wednesday during a video conference. “It was clear that he’s somebody that I want to partner with for a long time.”
“We know we’re working off the same script, we have the same vision, and that’s to win a world championship here in San Diego,” Shildt said. “And I’m looking forward to working with A.J. moving forward on continuing what has already been started, the best era in Padre baseball.”
Wednesday’s announcement was a virtual formality after Shildt led the Padres to 93 wins and the National League Division Series, where they fell to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Preller said extending Shildt was a “top priority going into the offseason.” Not reaching an agreement would have hung over Shildt entering the second year of the two-year deal he signed to replace Melvin.
A.J. Preller and Mike Shildt have had a harmonious relationship since the latter was named Padres manager last year. (Orlando Ramirez / Imagn Images)
The last time Shildt neared the end of an expiring contract, after a 90-win season managing the St. Louis Cardinals, he was abruptly fired. In public, Shildt and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak have cited only philosophical differences to explain an acrimonious split.
Two years later, Preller, who already had fired three managers, permitted Melvin’s departure after a bitterly disappointing season (which followed an appearance in the 2022 National League Championship Series). So far in Shildt, the famously obsessive executive has found his most eager collaborator yet.
“I loved the conversations this year. Sometimes some good fights and good hugs after those fights,” Preller said. “But just, like, the team was together, the coaching staff was together from day one. I think that’s a testament to Mike and his leadership style.”
“Some days, it takes us a day or two to get to a mutual disagreement, but for the most part, a high percentage (of the time) we end up being completely aligned,” said Shildt, who expressed consternation Wednesday that Preller was not named Major League Baseball’s executive of the year. That honor went to Matt Arnold of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“This is Mike’s life,” Preller added. “Pretty quickly (after the season ended), Mike’s geared up to, like, how do we go get better? And I think we both share that trait in terms of just constantly looking to improve. … When you have people that think that way, it makes their relationship a lot easier.”
The Padres are expected to retain the vast majority — and perhaps the full extent — of Shildt’s coaching staff, including pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Niebla’s contract expired last month, but the team has been in discussions with him and others about new deals that could be announced later this week.
“I think you’ll see we’re going to reward the people that have performed,” Preller said. “Ruben’s been a big performer, and we’re looking forward to him being a big part of the Padre organization for a long time.”
(Top photo of Mike Shildt, right, and Manny Machado: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)
