Mike Shildt Focused on Turning Padres Into More Functional Team

Functional teams tend to win more.

New San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt is committed to winning this coming season, with the goal of taking the NL West as his first mission. He has been with the Padres organization since the end of 2021 and was promoted to a player development role with the team in 2022.

He was hired due to his previous experience, and the team believes he will help them navigate through this crucial season. After the tough year that they just experienced, getting a guy like Shildt should help bring some stability back to the organization.

Shildt pushed back on the level of dysfunction that had been reported from this past season, and he explained that he is focused on turning the Padres into a more functional team.

“Functional teams win,” Shildt said. “I do think there was some misrepresentation to the level of dysfunction. But clearly, I’m here for a reason. It’s really just about that we concentrate on being together.”

Per Mike Shildt via MLB Network

Shildt had success while managing the St. Louis Cardinals before joining the Padres, leading them to three playoff appearances in four seasons. He won the 2019 NL Manager of the Year award in his first full season with St. Louis, and players loved being around him.

"Functional teams win... Clearly, I'm here for a reason."

Padres manager Mike Shildt joins #MLBTonight to talk about his new ballclub following his introductory press conference. pic.twitter.com/WZe0BBsqeX

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 21, 2023

His teams are known for being tactical in how they approach the game of baseball. They tend to be great on defense and are strong at baserunning, which is something we should look for with the Padres next season.

San Diego has all the tools to be a successful team, as their core in place is filled with All-Star level talent. But they have some work to do this offseason in building a more well-rounded squad, including putting together a solid starting rotation.