MLB Insider Hints at Padres' Craig Stammen Losing His Job Amid Struggles

When the San Diego Padres hired manager Craig Stammen over the offseason, the decision was met with some confusion.

After all, Stammen had never managed at any level, so throwing him into the fire of a team competing for a World Series title was certainly a strange choice. But the organization stood firmly in its decision, saying all the right things about the former pitcher.

Through the first few months of the season, Stammen has found some success, including managing all the different personalities in the clubhouse. But the team has struggled on the field, with the Padres holding a record of 48-48 at the All-Star break.

San Diego got off to a strong start to the season, but the team has fallen down a peg and will be in a fight for a postseason spot. The Padres are 3.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the National League at the break..

The NL playoff race is very crowded this season, putting even more pressure on this team to figure it out after the All-Star break.

It hasn't been the year that anyone envisioned for the Padres, and it could be costly for Stammen. Due to the struggles of this team, Stammen could already be on the hot seat in his first year, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

"It’s not as if Stammen can be blamed for all of their offensive troubles and battered starting rotation, but someone is going to have to take the fall, and it’s not going to be general manager A.J. Preller, who has already hired six different full-time managers," Nightengale wrote.

If the Padres were to fire Stammen, it could be another tough blow to this organization. As Nightengale mentions, the organization has gone through multiple managers over the years, and this has limited the overall ceiling of the team.

But with the new ownership group almost in place, it's possible they want to start over, with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller potentially gone as well. Preller and Stammen have a lot of pressure on them to turn the season around; otherwise, both could be looking for jobs sooner rather than later.

The Padres' roster was fairly flawed entering the season, with the starting rotation having all sorts of questions around it. Through the first few months, the biggest fears for the Padres have come true.

For now, Stammen will focus on getting his players ready for the second half of the season, with the goal being the playoffs. But if this doesn't materialize, there could be more changes coming to the Padres organization over the offseason.

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