The San Diego Padres have their next manager, and it’s a name the team knows quite well. Former Padres reliever Craig Stammen was announced as the team’s new manager Thursday.

Stammed reportedly signed a three-year contract to manage the team, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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While Stammen’s hiring comes as a surprise to those outside the organization, he’s well-known inside the Padres. As a player, Stammen, now 41, spent six of his 13 seasons with the Padres.

After an injury led to his retirement in 2023, Stammen decided to remain in the game. In January of 2024, he was hired by the Padres as a special assistant in player development. In that role, Stammen worked with players in both the majors and minors. Stammen remained in that role for the 2025 MLB season.

The Padres found themselves as a surprising entrant in the offseason manager hunt after former manager Mike Shildt announced his retirement in October. Shildt cited the physical and mental toll of the job in his statement announcing the news.

With Shildt gone, the Padres were one of the more desirable openings on the market. The team has won at least 90 games in each of the past two seasons, has plenty of star-caliber players and a general manager who will make bold moves in the pursuit of winning a World Series.

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Despite that, rumors regarding the Padres’ next manager were scarce in the weeks leading up to Stammen’s hiring. Former MLB superstar Albert Pujols — who was also in the running for the Los Angeles Angels managerial opening — reportedly interviewed with the Padres in October.

Though he never made an All-Star team, Stammen turned in some excellent seasons over his 13 years in the majors. He first reached the big leagues with the Washington Nationals, where he spent the first seven years of his career.

After struggling as a starting pitcher over his first two seasons, Stammen was converted to the pen. He displayed impressive skills in the role, posting a combined 2.54 ERA in 170 innings over the 2012 and 2013 MLB seasons.

Stammen posted another solid year in 2014 before missing most of the 2015 MLB season due to an arm injury. He joined the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the 2016 season but failed to reach the majors.

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Stammen signed a minor-league contract with the Padres that winter, and exceeded expectations in a major way. After not pitching in the majors for roughly two years, Stammen posted a combined 3.06 ERA in his first three seasons with the Padres. While he was never the team’s primary closer, he was a solid backend weapon in San Diego.

After struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season in 2020, Stammen returned to post one more strong season with the Padres in 2021.

He struggled in 2022 and was eventually shut down due to a torn rotator cuff. Stammen attempted to return with the Padres for the 2023 MLB season, but sustained a torn capsule in his shoulder, ultimately ending his playing career.