Mike Shildt Lands 2-Year Contract Extension as Padres Manager Through 2027 MLB Season

Chris Coduto/ After making the playoffs in his first season with the San Diego Padres, manager Mike Shildt has had his contract with the club extended.

The Padres announced on Wednesday that Shildt has signed a new deal that ties him to the organization through the 2027 season.

"As Mike demonstrated this year, he has an unwavering commitment to winning and a unique set of skills that got our group to perform at a high level," general manager A.J. Preller said in the announcement. "He possesses a true love for this team and the game of baseball, and I am thrilled to continue to work together with Mike to bring a championship to the City of San Diego."

Shildt has been with the Padres since January 2022 when he was hired as a player development coach on Bob Melvin's staff.

Melvin led the Padres to the NLCS in his first season as manager, but they finished with a disappointing 82-80 record in 2023 after they went all-in with an offseason spending spree .

The expectation was that Melvin would be back with the Padres in 2024. He was still under contract with the club and Preller told reporters during his end-of-season press conference in October 2023 that they were keeping Melvin as manager.

In the wake of Preller's comments, Melvin left San Diego when he was hired as manager by the San Francisco Giants. The move didn't come as a surprise because the Padres had to give the Giants permission to interview the 63-year-old.

Shildt wound up getting promoted by the Padres to become their manager on Nov. 21, 2023. He had four years of managerial experience with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 to '21, making the playoffs in each of his final three seasons with the club.

The Padres made the playoffs under Shildt with a 93-69 record, their most wins in a single season since 1998 (98-64). They swept the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild-card round and held a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS before losing the final two games.

Despite the disappointing end to this season, the future is extremely bright in San Diego. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Luis Arráez and Manny Machado are a great foundation for the lineup. Dylan Cease, Michael King and Yu Darvish give them a strong trio at the top of their starting rotation.

There is work to do for Preller to do with the roster, especially with Jurickson Profar and Tanner Scott hitting free agency, but the Padres have a lot of upside going into 2025 as they look to compete with the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West.