SAN DIEGO -- When it all came to a screeching halt in Chicago -- when a Padres season with sky-high ambitions came to a bitter end following a tense Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs -- that’s when general manager A.J. Preller said he first had a hunch.
Manager Mike Shildt asked for a few days to reset mentally and to return home to the Carolinas. Preller said he could tell that Shildt felt exhausted after the grind of a long season. It was nine days later that Shildt informed Preller of his plan to retire as the Padres' manager -- news that became official on Monday and stunned most of the baseball world. But not Preller.
“Probably more of a surprise than a shock,” he said.
On Tuesday, Preller addressed the media for the first time since the Padres’ season came to an end -- and the first time since Shildt’s decision to step down. Here’s what Preller had to say.
Shildt’s departure
All in all, Preller spoke and answered questions for more than 40 minutes, one of the longest press conferences in his tenure as general manager. It might have delayed his lunch plans -- with Shildt.
“He’s paying,” Preller quipped.
During his tenure as GM, Preller has churned through managers at a high clip. His next full-time manager will be his sixth in 12 seasons. In several of those instances, reports have surfaced of discord between manager and GM. That does not appear to be the case here -- at least not per Shildt’s retirement letter Monday and per Preller’s fond words on Tuesday. The two seem to be leaving things amicably.
Shildt’s departure, while perhaps not a shock to Preller, was a stunner to almost everyone else. Shildt had only just become the first manager in Padres history to record back-to-back 90-win seasons, and he reached the postseason in both years at the helm. But in his retirement letter, he wrote that “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”
Preller said his understanding of Shildt’s decision was precisely down to that -- “Mike was pretty clear, from his standpoint, that he doesn’t know exactly what the next step is, but for him it’s just a chance to take a break.”
“Ton of appreciation for Mike and the job he’s done here the last four years as a member of the Padre organization, and specifically the last two years as the manager of the Padres,” Preller said in his opening remarks. “We’ve had a lot of success here in terms of winning games, in large part [due] to the job Mike’s done.”
Another manager search
Preller spent the first several minutes of his press conference expressing gratitude toward Shildt, then he turned his attention forward. The Padres need a new manager.
“We’ll get started here today, in terms of getting a candidate list together and starting with the interview process and going from there,” Preller said. “It’s really about getting quality candidates together and being thorough with our process.”
Preller was quick to note that there would be no set timeline for a hire, and he added that a handful of candidates have already reached out. Among the eight current managerial openings, the Padres are the only team to have finished above .500 in 2025, and they’ll bring most of their core back for the ‘26 season.
“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.”
Asked who, specifically, would have input in making the hire, Preller touted the organization-wide process, then named himself, assistant GM Josh Stein, CEO Erik Greupner and chairman John Seidler.
Preller’s status
The backdrop for Tuesday’s press conference was the fact that Preller himself is only under contract through the 2026 season. His status for the future remains murky, and Preller did his best to dodge questions about that future.
Asked specifically whether contract-extension talks have begun, Preller said, “That’ll be between me and ownership, what that process looks like. And again, I think we’ll have those conversations here going forward.”
Preller reiterated his love for his current role. But he quickly pivoted to note that his focus is on the upcoming offseason -- which comes with a handful of crucial decisions, including, now, a manager search.
“I love the Padres and San Diego,” Preller said. “Obviously, proud to be a part of this thing and proud of the work that’s been done over the last 10 years to get us to a spot where we’re one of the more successful franchises. I think we understand there’s some unfinished business that’s left to be done.
“I look forward to having conversations with John and the group here this offseason. But, again, we have a lot of work to do. We’ve got a good team coming back, and for myself and our front office, our focus is always on trying to build a championship team.”