When Mike Shildt abruptly announced that he would step down as manager of the San Diego Padres, general manager AJ Preller had to quickly begin the hunt for his replacement.
“We wish him the best in his next chapter,” Preller said of Shildt in a statement on Monday. “The search for a new manager of the Padres will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”
He might not have to look far. The Padres have multiple candidates already in the organization that would make perfect sense as manager. There are plenty others around Major League Baseball who have San Diego ties, as well.
And while the potential list could stretch a mile long, Preller will want to be deliberate with this next pick. San Diego has made the postseason three of the last four years and had the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers on the ropes in 2024. They're not far off from being World Series contenders.
This isn't a rebuild job. It's a win-now job with a roster whose window won't stay open forever. Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado are both approaching their mid-30s, while Fernando Tatis Jr. is smack in the middle of his prime.
Preller will need to find someone who can handle superstar egos, manage what could be a great pitching staff and adjust to whatever talent an aggressive GM may bring in.
Here are a few of the top candidates to be the next Padres manager.
Ruben Niebla may be most logical candidate for Padres manager
Niebla, the Padres pitching coach, signed an extension with the organization last year, but has also expressed interest in wanting to one day manage. If the organization is looking for continuity, Niebla might make the most sense. Having developed relationships with a pitching staff that has churned out miracles like Nick Pivetta this season and Michael King in 2024, Niebla should have support from the clubhouse.
That could be especially important as Dylan Cease enters free agency and King could opt out of his 2026 option. Cease is coming off a down year and King made only 15 starts, but the tantalizing possibility of both capturing their previous form should be enough to want to keep them around — at the right price. Their odds may increase by retaining Niebla.
A Padres-Bruce Bochy reunion may be in the cards
Sometimes the timing just works out. Two years after leading the Texas Rangers to a World Series championship, the organization let Bochy go. If Bochy wants to manage in 2026, why not head back to where he spent the first 12 seasons of his managerial career?
Bochy went 951-975 in San Diego but is responsible for the team's only World Series appearance (1998) and back-to-back NL West titles in his final two seasons. San Diego has not won a division title since then.
Scott Servais is already in the organization
Servais is an internal candidate whose past with Preller goes back long before either landed in San Diego. The former Mariners skipper spent 2025 as a special assistant for the Padres and worked with the San Diego GM when both were in Texas. Servais was the senior director of player development and Preller was assistant GM for the Rangers' first American League pennant in 2010.
After moving on from Texas, Servais spent nine seasons as Seattle Mariners manager, taking the club to the postseason in 2022 for the first time in 21 years. He finished his tenure with a 668-624 record.
David Ross has already broken 1 World Series drought
The Padres have never won the World Series and haven't been to the Fall Classic since 1998. Ross has some experience in the drought-breaking department. His last career at bat came in 2016 when he hit a home run in Game 7 of the World Series, helping the Chicago Cubs win it all for the first time in 108 years.
Ross then became manager in 2020, spending four years at the helm and going 262-284 with just one playoff appearance. He spent 2005 as backup catcher for the Padres, playing for Bochy on the NL West championship club. Word is, he's looking to get back in the dugout.
Ryan Flaherty was a finalist for the Padres job 2 years ago
Flaherty interviewed for the Padres job that Shildt eventually won in 2024. Before that, he climbed the ranks within the organization, starting as an advance scout and development coach and working his way up to bench coach under Bob Melvin. Now with two more years of bench coach experience under his built on Craig Counsell's staff with the Chicago Cubs, this could be his moment.
