Mike Shildt agreed to terms on a two-year deal to become the new manager of the San Diego Padres, the Major League Baseball club announced on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old American, who spent the past two seasons working in player development for the Padres, replaced Bob Melvin, who left last month to become manager of the rival San Francisco Giants.
Shildt is a former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, having compiled a 252-199 record from 2018-2021 that including winning the 2019 National League Manager of the Year award.
“Mike is a proven winner as a manager at the major league level and he brings over two decades of experience in professional baseball to the position,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said.
“In his time here, Mike has displayed a strong baseball intellect, a passion for teaching the game and has established relationships with players and staff.
“We believe Mike is the right person to lead the Padres forward in our continued pursuit of a World Series championship.”
The Padres went 82-80 this past season and missed the playoffs a year after reaching the NL championship series, where they lost to Philadelphia.
Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Padres had not won a playoff series since reaching the 1998 World Series until last year.
