Padres Could Cut Ties With Craig Stammen This Offseason Under One Condition

The San Diego Padres have been one of the best teams in baseball since the All-Star break, with the team winning 17 of its last 23 games.

San Diego is currently in the third and final wild-card spot in the National League after this surge, giving the team strong hopes of a playoff berth. The Padres have relied on strong contributions from starting pitchers, as well as their offense finally getting going after a season-long slump.

But the final 36 games for this team will be a battle in the crowded field that the NL has this year. And if the Padres were to falter and miss the playoffs, the organization could reportedly look to move on from manager Craig Stammen.

Stammen, a first-year manager for the Padres, signed a three-year contract with San Diego over the offseason. But with a new ownership group in place and the job security of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller up in the air, Stammen's future could be murky.

The Padres are fighting for playoff positioning with the rival Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies down the stretch. MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes changes could be coming to whichiever teams falls out of the postseason picture.

"It not only is shaping up as a frantic National League wild-card race these final six weeks, with three teams (the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks) fighting for the final two wild-card berths, but it could also determine the fate of three managers," Nightengale wrote. "The contender among the trio that misses the postseason likely will also be looking for a new skipper."

Since Stammen is in his first year, he could be safer than other managers. But the Padres' new owners may want to clean house if the team were to miss the postseason, with Stammen taking the hit.

Should Craig Stammen Remain the Padres Manager?

One aspect that could help Stammen's case is that he is the Padres' fourth manager since 2019. The lack of continuity could be a reason why San Diego has faltered over and over again.

YES or NO: Should Craig Stammen be fired if the Padres miss the playoffs? 👀 pic.twitter.com/PsJZ56rfv7
— SleeperPadres (@SleeperPadres) August 17, 2026

Stammen has done well this season given the circumstances, with the former pitcher keeping his guys engaged throughout the ups and downs of the year. Players seem to have enjoyed playing for Stammen, and he does have the team directly in the playoff hunt.

But not all people involved with the Padres believe Stammen is the right person for the job. Former Padres star Heath Bell believes that the manager is another failed project from Preller.

"You know if ... you want to follow your manager or not, and I just feel like Craig's made a lot of mistakes and he's not sure what direction he's going," Bell said. "And unfortunately, this is another AJ surprise or another project that just has not panned out.”

All in all, Stammen has done well enough to justify being given another season, no matter the outcome over the remainder of the year.

But given that the goal for the Padres is a World Series, it could be hard for a new ownership group to justify keeping someone that they didn't hire in the first place if the team fails to reach the postseason.

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