Hours after he announced a jarring decision 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.
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 “philosophical differences” when they fired Shildt as manager, had any internal strife contributed to Shildt’s 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?
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.
Then, he shared his side of an unusual story that figures to continue drawing widespread curiosity in the weeks to come.
“Those are narratives I can’t control,” Shildt said. “You know, people are going to say whatever they want. There’s always going to be some kind of speculation. I’m just tired and want to go home, dude. I’m at super peace with it.”
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’ 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.
According to Shildt, Preller — who is scheduled to address reporters via videoconference Tuesday — did not react with surprise. The general manager, Shildt said, could tell he was “worn down.”
“I don’t want people to think I checked out or wasn’t engaged or wasn’t doing my job,” Shildt said. “No, that’s not the case. I tell myself, and I have done it since day one of this job, regardless of level … I’m going bell to bell. I’m going to give it everything I got. Because I owe it to the team and the players. So, I did that.
“But I can tell you I was sick a lot. I just wasn’t feeling good. I was run down. And I wasn’t sleeping. And it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just day-to-day stress. But, you know, just unhealthy, man, and sometimes you’ve just got to take care of you, you know?”
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)
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.
“Never say never,” Shildt said. “But I have no desire to be in that big chair anytime soon. I’m going to enjoy a quality of life that I haven’t been enjoying my entire life.”
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.
“I’ve been so darn blessed to make the money I’ve made in the game,” said Shildt, who began his career in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals and later became a minor-league manager. “But, gosh, I got to tell you, man, I have never been motivated by money.”
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’s predecessor, Bob Melvin, people throughout the organization said that their proximity was also a factor in regular disagreements.
“The thing that I appreciated about A.J. is you can have a very honest, healthy, transparent conversation with A.J.,” Shildt said. “It’s all for the greater good of us winning baseball games. So, I value that with him, and I’m always going to be grateful for him giving me this opportunity. And my only regret is that I wasn’t able to help fulfill the vision of Mr. (Peter) Seidler and A.J. and this organization’s passionate fan base to win a World Series.
“That’s my only regret.”
Seidler, the Padres’ late owner, died in November 2023, about two years after Shildt joined the organization as a player development consultant. Shildt gradually took on a more prominent role, including assisting Melvin’s coaching staff, before Melvin was allowed to interview for the San Francisco Giants’ 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’s.
Flaherty, now the Cubs’ 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.
Multiple team sources said former Padres manager Bruce Bochy, 70, is not expected to be a serious candidate to return to San Diego.

Current pitching coach Ruben Niebla is expected to be one of several managerial candidates. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Without Seidler’s backing, however, Preller’s ability to be the chief decision-maker on another manager remains in question. The executive is in the penultimate year of his contract — while Shildt was extended last winter, Preller was not — 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.
In the meantime, Shildt’s decision to retire — whether entirely voluntary or not — 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’ manager in 2018.
Others in the organization were not as stunned. Following the Padres’ first-round exit this month, some employees had operated with uncertainty regarding the futures of both Preller and Shildt.
Over the weekend, at least one answer to the unknowns emerged. While certain questions will linger, Shildt said Monday he was “really, really grateful but … very, very happy.”
“I just looked up, and man, I’m 57 years old,” he said. “You 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.
“I’m walking away from a great situation. I mean, nothing’s perfect. It’s not perfect, but I had a general manager who’s passionate and cares and wants to win, and I can’t 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.
“I 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,” Shildt added. “And I couldn’t answer that with a yes.”
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