Padres hire Craig Stammen as manager after 9-plus hour Albert Pujols interview

The San Diego Padres were dealt a tricky situation, as they found out after the 2025 season that Mike Shildt was stepping down from his role as the team's manager.

Despite having a playoff roster, the Padres needed to find a new manager. San Diego's search began in earnest, and one name brought up as a strong candidate was Albert Pujols.

But, as the Padres announced, they have decided to hire Craig Stammen to be the team's new manager. The first-year manager is signed on for the next three years in San Diego.

Padres hire Craig Stammen as new manager after Mike Shildt's surprise retirement

Stammen becomes the Padres' new manager after spending a few years as a special assistant in the player development department. He's worked closely with AJ Preller and, going forward, will be the new manager of the Padres.

We have agreed to terms with Craig Stammen on a three-year contract to become our new manager. pic.twitter.com/sqEiUH5Z5h

The 41-year-old now becomes the Padres manager for the next three years, after spending half of his MLB playing career with the Padres.

Stammen played 13 years in the Majors, with the second half, from 2017 until 2022, with the Padres. In his six seasons with the Padres, Stammen had a 3.36 ERA in 333 games.

But after his retirement following the 2022 season, he joined the Padres staff as an assistant on the coaching staff and in the baseball operations department alongside Preller.

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This move comes amid strong interest in Pujols, an MLB legend who's on his way to the MLB Hall of Fame for one of the best careers in league history.

It was reported previously by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that Pujols was in an interview with the Padres for over nine hours.

How serious are the San Diego Padres about hiring future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols as their next manager?
His second interview with the Padres lasted 9 1/2 hours.

After such a long and extensive interview, it's a surprise that he didn't wind up as the Padres manager. Despite San Diego's long interview with Pujols, they hired Stammen as the team's new manager.

Stammen now will look to help Preller get the Padres back on track and into the playoffs. After the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers won back-to-back World Series titles, Stammen and the Padres will have their work cut out for them in 2026.

More Padres News:

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• Padres' Mike Shildt announces retirement following 2025 season
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• Padres star Yu Darvish out for 2026 after elbow repair and internal brace
• Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. wins second Gold Glove award
• Padres deemed potential fit to steal Phillies star in free agency