Less than a month after Mike Shildt’s retirement as San Diego Padres manager, the franchise has hired team executive Craig Stammen to the position.
Yes, you read that right, Craig Stammen is the Padres’ new skipper.
His resume is brief, as he was a 13-year veteran reliever, who pitched for the Padres from 2017 to 2022. His post-playing career experience is limited to serving as a special assistant to team President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller. Stammen has never coached at the major
or minor league level.
Sounds like a great hire (snicker…snicker).
Preller made his reason to select him clear in the statement to announce the hire, stating, “Craig has been a strong presence in our organization for nearly a decade.” Thus, the bar has been set for Stammen. The front office believes they have a talented, veteran roster that should contend for a 2026 postseason berth.
However, these expectations may not be as manageable as Preller thinks. Here are some challenges Stammen will face in 2026:
Cannot be considered Preller’s puppet
The Friar Faithful are not mincing their words, as they believe Stammen is a puppet for Preller because his appointment was a knee-jerk reaction to none of the other candidates being willing to accept not having a voice in how the lineup is set in 2026. Preller would counter that Stammen was chosen because of his deep organizational knowledge and has a strong presence in the locker room.
But if you read the tea leaves, Preller and his analytics department have long been accused of influencing the look of the Padres’ lineup. He wants a manager who is compliant with his demands. Just ask Shidt, who grew tired of his meddling and abruptly left the organization.
Having played with Manny Machado, Joe Musgrove, Jake Cronenworth, Adrian Morejon, and Fernando Tatis Jr., Stammen is no stranger to the Friars’ clubhouse. But he has several obstacles in his first season at the helm.
Stammen must establish a boundary as the team manager at Peoria next Spring. It is great that he built a relationship with his former teammates, but that all changes while navigating the demands of being the skipper. Those relationships may sour if Stammen benches or offers criticism publicly.
Preller is banking on Stammen’s natural leadership skills leading the Padres further in the postseason than any other manager in his regime.
Stammen must offer fresh perspective to struggling offense
There are clear holes with the offense, as Stammen is tasked with getting more production from an inconsistent lineup. Individually, the names are impressive, but collectively, the group was a disappointment in 2025.
The offense had some moments aided by the resurgence from the run production provided by Xander Bogaerts and Cronenworth. Granted, when the bats were hot, no team could match their offensive scoring. However, there is no explanation for why the lineup’s offensive numbers dropped significantly.
Yes, there are reasons to be concerned, as the Friars regressed in home runs and runs scored from 2024 (190 HRs and 760 runs) to 2025 (152 HRs and 702 runs). Too many nights, the lineup failed to grind out at-bats. The hitters were impatient and swung at pitches outside the strike zone.
Stammen must show a willingness to shake up the lineup, particularly if the Padres are mired in an extended hitting funk. It shows he wants to jump-start the offense to achieve better results. You cannot fault someone searching for solutions before a minor issue becomes a major problem quickly.
It is tough to put all the blame on Shildt. But he was prone to use the same starting lineup set from Opening Day, with little change except for injury. Baseball is a sport where lineup changes help the team perform better. Without change, teams quickly fall victim to stagnation.
Team dynamics will set the tone for 2026
