The San Diego Padres lost to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card round after getting the series to Game 3. While the Padres came up just short of advancing to the NLDS, they still had an overall solid year.
There's a lot of work that needs to be done in the offseason, but there should be plenty of hope going forward with the core that the Padres have. However, in 2026 and beyond, the Padres will have to do so without their manager, as Mike Shildt is retiring.
According to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune, Shildt is retiring from managing following the 2025 season, opening a manager's seat in the NL West for the Los Angeles Dodgers' top competition.
Mike Shildt retires from the Padres manager job after two years
"After two seasons as the Padres' manager," Acee writes, "he is walking away from a contract that has two years remaining, citing a 'severe toll' the job has taken on him 'mentally and physically.'"
The 2025 season was just Shildt's second in San Diego. But, even with two more years left on his contract, Shildt is retiring, saying to the Union-Tribune, "It's time I take care of myself and exit on my terms."
Shildt's decision to retire comes after a solid season in San Diego, where the Padres went 90-72 and finished as the second Wild Card team. In 2024, Shildt led the Padres to an impressive 93-69 record, finishing second in the NL West to the Dodgers, and eventually losing the NLDS to the NL West division winner in Game 5.
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While he was only in San Diego for two years, Shildt had a very strong .565 winning percentage. He helped the Padres bounce back from a rough 2023 season in which they went 82-80, missing the playoffs.
Since 2006, the Padres have made the playoffs four times, and two of those years came under Shildt. His win totals in 2024 and 2025 were among the best years in Padres history, with only the 1998 team beating Shildt's 2024 squad, and the 1984 and 1996 teams beating the 2025 win total.
Losing a manager like Shildt is a tough blow for the Padres, as they now have to search for a new manager following a strong season, unlike a lot of other teams that have managerial openings.
But that factor should help them in their search, as a strong team like the Padres would be an attractive job for top managerial candidates. But, regardless of who the Padres end up going with as their new manager, seeing Shildt retire after just two years is a sad end to what was looking like a great tenure in San Diego.
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