Padres' AJ Preller Has Clear Message on Craig Stammen's Future With Organization

The manager led the Padres to 91 wins in his first season on the bench.

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) blows a bubble as he comes off the field during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park on Aug. 26, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Diego Padres' five postseason appearances in the last seven seasons represent the longest stretch of success in franchise history.

Somewhat remarkably, four different managers have guided the team to the postseason this decade. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller is the one constant.

If Craig Stammen should feel encouraged by winning 91 games, clinching the top wild-card seed in the National League and sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card round in his first season on the bench, the Padres' recent history suggests he shouldn't get too comfortable.

Yet Stammen, unlike his predecessors (Jayce Tingler, Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt) has spent most of the last decade in the organization, beginning with his time as a pitcher in Andy Green's bullpen, and continuing with his transition to a special assistant role.

"He's been in the organization for the whole run, both as a player, as a staff member, and as a manager," Preller said Tuesday. "I think it was really important for us, in terms of the hire, just somebody that the way we do things as an organization, like to throw things on the table, like to utilize our staff and our people to bounce different ideas around and utilize the experience and intelligence of a lot of really smart people in the building."

Stammen has made mistakes along the way, and has been comfortable admitting so publicly.

Rather than a demerit, Preller believes that degree of accountability is a sign of someone who can persist in the job longer than the Padres' previous managers.

"How many times he said to this group here or some of the people in this group here, 'I probably screwed up' or 'I could have done this better.' That's what leaders do," Preller said. "They're good leaders, they're accountable, but they also understand they may not have all the answers all the time, and then they grow from that."

Those compliments amount to an unsurprising vote of confidence. Given the timing of his remarks, Preller couldn't be expected to say anything substantively different.

Behind the scenes, however, Preller said he has given his vote of confidence to his higher-ups.

"Sitting down with [former chairman] John Seidler and [current co-owners] Jose [E. Feliciano] and Kwanza [Jones] and [team president] Erik [Greupner], he's going to keep growing throughout the year," Preller said of Stammen. "He's got that type of mentality. I think we've all seen that in his ability.

"So expect him to do this for a long time."

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