{"id":302082,"date":"2025-10-14T07:46:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302082\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T07:46:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:46:12","slug":"mike-shildt-says-decision-to-retire-was-his-own-but-padres-questions-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302082\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Shildt says decision to retire was his own, but Padres questions remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours after he announced a jarring decision<\/a> to retire as manager of the San Diego Padres, Mike Shildt said in a phone interview that deteriorating health and the stress of a high-profile job had convinced him to walk away with two years left on a lucrative contract and no agreement to receive at least some of that remaining money. Meanwhile, around the industry, questions continued to swirl.<\/p>\n

Had Shildt, the first Padres manager to oversee consecutive 90-win seasons, resigned completely of his own volition? Four years after the St. Louis Cardinals cited \u201cphilosophical differences\u201d when they fired Shildt as manager, had any internal strife contributed to Shildt\u2019s exit in San Diego? Was this part of a negotiated agreement that would effectively allow Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller to part ways with a fifth full-time manager during his 11-year tenure? Will Preller, who has only a year left on his contract, receive full authority to select yet another dugout leader?<\/p>\n

Speaking Monday night, Shildt said he had just returned to San Diego after a week spent mulling things over at his home in North Carolina; he officially informed ownership and Preller of his decision Saturday, but he still had to have final conversations with some members of the organization.<\/p>\n

Then, he shared his side of an unusual story that figures to continue drawing widespread curiosity in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are narratives I can\u2019t control,\u201d Shildt said. \u201cYou know, people are going to say whatever they want. There\u2019s always going to be some kind of speculation. I\u2019m just tired and want to go home, dude. I\u2019m at super peace with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shildt, 57, said he began thinking in late August about the possibility of retiring. The now-former manager said that during the past season he experienced, among other things, poor sleep, chest pains, hair loss and, in an age of pervasive sports gambling, even death threats from strangers. He added that after the Padres\u2019 season-ending loss to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series, he told Preller he wanted to head home for a week to recharge and reflect.<\/p>\n

According to Shildt, Preller \u2014 who is scheduled to address reporters via zoom Tuesday \u2014 did not react with surprise. The general manager, Shildt said, could tell he was \u201cworn down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want people to think I checked out or wasn\u2019t engaged or wasn\u2019t doing my job,\u201d Shildt said. \u201cNo, that\u2019s not the case. I tell myself, and I have done it since day one of this job, regardless of level \u2026 I\u2019m going bell to bell. I\u2019m going to give it everything I got. Because I owe it to the team and the players. So, I did that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I can tell you I was sick a lot. I just wasn\u2019t feeling good. I was run down. And I wasn\u2019t sleeping. And it\u2019s nobody\u2019s fault. It\u2019s just day-to-day stress. But, you know, just unhealthy, man, and sometimes you\u2019ve just got to take care of you, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Shildt will finish his time in San Diego with a 183-141 record spread over two seasons, including back-to-back postseason berths. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Shildt said he intended to retire to his beach house in North Carolina, with no plans to seek another major-league job in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever say never,\u201d Shildt said. \u201cBut I have no desire to be in that big chair anytime soon. I\u2019m going to enjoy a quality of life that I haven\u2019t been enjoying my entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he would be paid through the end of this month as per the terms of the three-year contract extension he received last offseason. That, Shildt said, would be the extent of what he would receive in a deal that multiple team sources said paid him at least $2 million annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been so darn blessed to make the money I\u2019ve made in the game,\u201d said Shildt, who began his career in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals and later became a minor-league manager. \u201cBut, gosh, I got to tell you, man, I have never been motivated by money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shildt, for his part, denied that conflict with Preller or other members of the organization led to his decision. Although the two men enjoyed a closer working relationship than Preller and Shildt\u2019s predecessor, Bob Melvin, people throughout the organization said that their proximity also was a factor in regular disagreements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that I appreciated about A.J. is you can have a very honest, healthy, transparent conversation with A.J.,\u201d Shildt said. \u201cIt\u2019s all for the greater good of us winning baseball games. So, I value that with him, and I\u2019m always going to be grateful for him giving me this opportunity. And my only regret is that I wasn\u2019t able to help fulfill the vision of Mr. (Peter) Seidler and A.J. and this organization\u2019s passionate fan base to win a World Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my only regret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seidler, the Padres\u2019 late owner, died in November 2023, about a year after Shildt joined the organization as a player development consultant. Shildt gradually took on a more prominent role, including assisting Melvin\u2019s coaching staff, before Melvin was allowed to interview for the San Francisco Giants\u2019 managerial position. After Melvin left, Shildt eventually was named manager over then-offensive coordinator Ryan Flaherty, who is believed to remain a favorite of Preller\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Flaherty, now the Cubs\u2019 bench coach, is expected to again receive consideration for the managerial opening in San Diego, league sources said. Some of the same sources anticipate that other candidates will include Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla, bench coach Brian Esposito, special assistants Scott Servais and A.J. Ellis, and former Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin.<\/p>\n

Multiple team sources said former Padres manager Bruce Bochy, 70, is not expected to be a serious candidate to return to San Diego.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Current pitching coach Ruben Niebla is expected to be one of several managerial candidates. (Elsa \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Without Seidler\u2019s backing, however, Preller\u2019s ability to be the chief decision-maker on another manager remains in question. The executive is in the penultimate year of his contract \u2014 while Shildt was extended last winter, Preller was not \u2014 and a source with knowledge of the situation said that, as of last week, Preller had yet to have substantial conversations with ownership about a potential extension.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Shildt\u2019s decision to retire \u2014 whether entirely voluntary or not \u2014 took some players and other team personnel by surprise. Shildt went 183-141 with San Diego and 252-199 overall since he became the Cardinals\u2019 manager in 2018.<\/p>\n

Others in the organization were not as stunned. Following the Padres\u2019 first-round exit this month, some employees had operated with uncertainty regarding the futures of both Preller and Shildt.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, at least one answer to the unknowns emerged. While certain questions will linger, Shildt said Monday he was \u201creally, really grateful but \u2026 very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just looked up, and man, I\u2019m 57 years old,\u201d he said. \u201cYou talk to (Tony La Russa) and (Torey Lovullo) and (Jim Leyland) and (Ron Washington) and (Bochy) and (Terry Francona), and it just starts to take a toll, man. Those guys have all had some real physical issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m walking away from a great situation. I mean, nothing\u2019s perfect. It\u2019s not perfect, but I had a general manager who\u2019s passionate and cares and wants to win, and I can\u2019t ask for much more than that. I had a great pitching coach and a great hitting coach and a very strong staff and support staff. And most importantly, I had a great group of guys, a great group of players that are very talented.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to look myself in the mirror and ask myself if I was really ready to go through that again, and what it takes to do 90 wins and the playoffs,\u201d Shildt added. \u201cAnd I couldn\u2019t answer that with a yes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hours after he announced a jarring decision to retire as manager of the San Diego Padres, Mike Shildt…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":302083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1266,1306,62,3692,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-302082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-san-diego-padres","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115371415660454904","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}