Ex-reliever Craig Stammen named Padres manager

The San Diego Padres named Craig Stammen, a former relief pitcher for the team, as their new manager on Thursday.

The 41-year-old signed a three-year contract.

He is well-known within the organization. Since retiring in March 2023, he has worked as a special assistant in the player development department, working with established major leaguers as well as with minor league players.

He pitched for the Padres from 2017-22 after seven seasons with the Washington Nationals. He appeared in 562 games (43 starts) and had a 55-44 career record with a 3.66 ERA and six saves.

His most celebrated outing came on Oct. 2, 2020, when he was used by the Padres as an opener in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series, a 4-0 win that gave San Diego its first win of a postseason series since 1998. He threw 1 2/3 one-hit innings as the first of nine pitchers to chip in on the shutout.

In the box score from that game are the names of Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Adrian Morejon, former teammates who now will be managed by Stammen.

He is the fifth first-time MLB manager hired this offseason, joining 33-year-old Blake Butera (Nationals), former Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello (San Francisco Giants), ex-MLB catcher Kurt Suzuki (Los Angeles Angels) and Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz (Baltimore Orioles).

Stammen replaces Mike Shildt, who retired after the season. With the Padres, he had a 183-141 record and took the team to back-to-back playoff berths. San Diego lost in the NL wild-card series in 2025 and the NL Division Series in 2024.

--Field Level Media