The San Diego Padres are still searching for their next manager. The hottest topic in the search has been former superstar Albert Pujols, who already interviewed for the Padres manager job for the first time last week.
Kevin Acee, a Padres beat writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, broke the news that Pujols had recently interviewed for the second time. The relationship is heating up, and there is a chance that Pujols ends up as the Padres manager for 2026 and potentially beyond.
Pujols is currently the manager for the Dominican Republic and will manage them in the World Baseball Classic in March of 2026. He will gain major experience coaching two Dominican stars on the Padres, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Both of them should play for the DR in the WBC.
The Friars are forced to move on from Mike Shildt, as he retired from coaching after the season. Shildt led the Padres to two playoff appearances in two seasons and managed the team to back-to-back 90-win seasons for the first time in club history. It would be quite a difference going from Shildt to Pujols, but there are benefits to hiring Pujols as the next manager.
Pujols is serious about coaching. He did not get the Los Angeles Angels job, as they went in a different direction and hired Kurt Suzuki, who is also a first-time coach as a former player.
Here is what Pujols said about coaching before the season started.
“For me, I’ve always been serious about everything that I do in this game,” Pujols told USA Today in March, “and now I’m serious about managing. This game has done so much for me, and now, I want to give back. I'm ready.”
