Padres News: Some Members Of The Front Office Not Sold On Mike Shildt
The San Diego Padres hired their new manager recently, bringing in former St. Louis Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt to lead the team. He had been a coach with the Friars last season and now moves on up to the big desk.
Shildt beat out a few other solid candidates, but only received a two-year contract with the team. It was a little curious at the time, but some new reports may indicate why it happened.
MLB insider Dennis Lin of The Athletic is reporting that some members of the Padres front office preferred bench coach Ryan Flaherty for the open managerial job over Shildt.
“Yet team sources said some Padres front office members and players preferred Flaherty, who has long been a favorite of Preller’s."
If this is true, it could turn out poorly for Shildt. After all, they only gave him a two-year deal, which was a little eye-opening.
The Padres wanted someone with experience to manage the team this coming season, and Shildt did have more experience than the other candidates. But it still begs the question about why the contract was so short.
"The Padres gave Shildt only a two-year contract, perhaps reflecting the lack of unanimous support for his promotion. Less than a year from now, Shildt could find himself approaching lame-duck status.”
San Diego has a ton of work to do to get this team back into solid playoff contention. They need to build out the roster well and hope that Shildt can have the right touch of leadership skills to make everything click.
It won't be easy, but it seems that the new Padres manager is ready for the job. He wants to win badly, and if he performs, he will likely be given an extension to stay with the team.
