Rumors of Mike Shildt joining the Orioles only 44 days after leaving the Padres sent a jolt through an already unpredictable offseason.NL
The San Diego Padres were put in a very tricky spot shortly after their 2025 season came to an end against the Chicago Cubs. In a surprising decision, Mike Shidlt decided to retire.
That opened the Padres manager role, which was eventually filled by Craig Stammen. But his decision was a stunning one and caught the baseball world off guard.
However, just 44 days after his surprising retirement decision, Shildt is coming out of retirement to join the Baltimore Orioles organization, according to Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner.
Mike Shildt un-retires 44 days after his surprising Padres decision
“The Orioles are hiring former Padres manager Mike Shildt as their upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction, source confirms,” Kostka reports. “… @masnRoch had both of these first.”
San Diego had to make an unexpected manager search due to Shildt’s sudden retirement, and now, just 44 days later, Shildt is coming out of retirement to join the Orioles staff.
While he’s not in such a stressful role, like he was in San Diego as the manager, he’s still back in Major League Baseball after a very brief retirement back in October.
More: Padres’ Mike Shildt announces retirement following 2025 season
The 57-year-old manager was a quality one for the Padres, as in his two seasons with San Diego, he helped lead the Padres to an impressive 183-141 record.
The Padres made the playoffs in both of his seasons as manager of the Padres, finishing second in the NL West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in both seasons.
While he found success in San Diego, he decided to retire, leaving his manager role behind. And now, he’s back in MLB just 44 days after his initial retirement decision.
It’s an interesting turnaround for Shildt, but based on his feelings as he departed the Padres organization back in October, this less strenuous role will be better for him going forward.
