manager’s chair. As both a player and in his post-playing career, Craig has displayed an ability to elevate those around him. His strength of character, competitive nature and talent for bringing people together make him the ideal choice to lead the Padres.”

Stammen becomes the majors’ only manager who is a former pitcher.

He pitched seven seasons for the Washington Nationals and six more for the Padres during his playing career, serving as a reliever for all but his first two big league seasons. An Ohio native known for his effective sinker, Stammen is fifth in Padres history with 333 appearances for the club.

The Padres are enjoying their longest stretch of success in franchise history, making four playoff appearances and posting five winning records in the past six years behind stars Fernando Tatís Jr. and Manny Machado. They got as far as the NL Championship Series in 2022, losing to Philadelphia in five games after knocking off the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.

Stammen takes over the Padres’ dugout just under two years after the death in November 2023 of beloved Padres owner Peter Seidler, whose aggressive spending and hunger to win galvanized the team’s fan base. Seidler’s brother, John, is now the Padres’ chairman.

Preller, who is headed into the final year of his own contract, must make several major roster decisions in the upcoming weeks with key players due to hit free agency and the likely loss of significant pitching talent from last season’s 90-win club. Starters Dylan Cease and Michael King are free agents, while Yu Darvish will miss the 2026 season after undergoing elbow surgery.

Stammen is the latest surprising managerial hire in an already-eventful MLB offseason.

The nearby Los Angeles Angels gave only a one-year contract to Kurt Suzuki, another managerial neophyte, while the San Francisco Giants unconventionally hired longtime college coach Tony Vitello. The Nationals chose 33-year-old Blake Butera, the youngest manager in the majors since 1972.

The Colorado Rockies are the only remaining team without a permanent manager. Warren Schaeffer finished their 119-loss season as the interim manager, and the team parted ways with general manager Bill Schmidt on Oct. 1.