The Padres are narrowing down their manager search, and they could be approaching a decision in the near future, according to team sources.
The list of potential hires has been narrowed to a handful -- a group that includes at least Nick Hundley, Ruben Niebla and Albert Pujols, according to one source. One or two other candidates could be in the mix as well.
San Diego is searching for a manager after Mike Shildt stepped away on Oct. 13 after two seasons in the role. There’s no specific timetable for the hire, but given that the Padres have advanced beyond initial interviews, that decision could be made in the coming days.
“It’s really about getting quality candidates together and being thorough with our process,” general manager A.J. Preller said earlier this month.
Niebla is the most prominent internal candidate as San Diego’s pitching coach for the past four seasons. He has previously expressed an interest in becoming a big league manager. Niebla is well respected in the Padres’ clubhouse, and he has gotten the most out of the team’s pitching staff over the past few seasons.
Pujols, of course, is the biggest name of the group. A near-certain future Hall of Famer, Pujols accumulated 3,384 hits and 703 home runs in his career with the Cardinals, Angels and Dodgers. Since retiring after the 2022 season, Pujols has served as a special assistant with the Angels, and he is the manager of Leones del Escogido, who won the 2025 Caribbean Series.
Hundley spent 12 seasons as a catcher in the big leagues, including seven with the Padres from 2008-14. He retired after the ‘19 season and has been a special assistant in the Rangers’ front office since ‘22. Hundley was believed to be a candidate for the Giants’ job before that went to former University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello.
The list of candidates might not be limited to those three, according to a source, though it’s unclear who else might be in the mix.
The Padres’ hire will inherit a roster with a strong core of players but several key questions this offseason. Mostly, that hire will be looking to build on recent success, as San Diego reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons for just the second time in franchise history in 2024 and ‘25.
“I think it’s a really attractive job,” Preller said. “You’ve got 3 1/2 million fans coming to the ballpark year in and year out. It’s as good an atmosphere as there is in the game. It’s a great organization. We produce players, we put talented rosters on the field. We go to the playoffs. I think it’s the challenge of winning a World Series in a city that hasn’t done it before.”