"Updates: Padres Close to Finalizing Contract Extension with Manager Mike Shildt"
After one year as the manager of the San Diego Padres, Mike Shildt is set to receive a well-deserved reward.
According to multiple media outlets, the 56-year-old skipper and the team are in the final stages of negotiating a two-year contract extension. This new agreement would keep Shildt with the Padres until 2027.
In the 2021 season, the Padres had a record of 93-69, finishing just five games behind the eventual World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the National League West. They also secured the top NL wild card spot.
San Diego swept the Atlanta Braves in a two-game wild-card series and even took a 2-1 lead against the Dodgers in the best-of-five NL Division Series. However, the Dodgers came back to win the final two games with scores of 8-0 and 2-0.
According to reports from the San Diego Union-Tribune and The Athletic, most of Shildt's coaching staff is expected to return for the next season.
The Padres had an impressive .263 batting average this year, tying for first in the majors, and ranked sixth with a .745 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Their team ERA of 3.86 was 12th in the league, and their pitching staff recorded 1,453 strikeouts, ranking sixth overall.
Prior to joining the Padres, Shildt managed the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-2021, with a regular-season record of 252-199. He led the team to the postseason in three out of four seasons and was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2019.
