Former San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said in a letter to the fanbase that he thought about retirement throughout the 2025 regular season before ultimately deciding to step aside on Monday. General manager AJ Preller, however, was unaware of Shildt's thought process until the postseason.
Preller held a virtual press conference on Tuesday where he addressed the timeline around Shildt's abrupt departure.
AJ Preller was asked when he first found out about Mike Shildt was considering retirement and what the timeline is to find the Padres' next manager: pic.twitter.com/X3vSGfJhO3
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) October 14, 2025
“I think it was more when we got to Chicago, now the seasons done, there’s a lot of emotion in that room, there’s a lot of emotion from our players,” Preller said. “I think coming out of that was the first time talking to him that yeah it’s something that definitely wore on him.”
The Padres' season came to an end in the National League Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs. It was San Diego's second-straight postseason appearance under Shildt.
Padres GM AJ Preller on the manager selection process
The Padres' search for a new manager began in earnest on Tuesday, and the good news for Preller is there are plenty of internal and external candidates who would make sense for the job.
Internally, pitching coach Ruben Niebla and special assistant for player development Scott Servais would make sense.
“We have some strong internal candidates and that’ll be one thing they bring to the table is the knowledge of the organization, our roster, our players, our people,” Preller said. “I think there’s a lot of positives to that but I’m also anxious to get a sense of some people outside the organization.”
Asked what he's looking for in a new manager, Preller listed the priorities he wanted to see.
“Somebody that knows the game very, very well is always part of it,” he said. “I think somebody that can relate to people and players, has the ability to be honest with players but understands the way to deliver messages may be different for different guys. Somebody that at the end of the day is valuing the organization. It’s all about the organization and trying to win championships. Someone who embraces expectations.”
