One of the game’s biggest names is among the candidates the Padres will interview for their vacant manager position.
The team will meet with future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, sources said, as they seek to replace Mike Shildt, who announced his retirement last week. It is not known when the interview of Pujols will take place.
Pujols, who retired as a player in 2022 after 22 seasons playing for the Cardinals, Angels and Dodgers, has already interviewed with the Angels and will reportedly interview with the Orioles.
The 11-time All-Star, whose 703 career home runs are fourth most in history, has never managed in the major leagues. He managed Leones de Escogido to the Dominican Winter League and Caribbean Series titles earlier this year. Pujols is scheduled to be the manager for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in March, though that would change if he is hired by a major league team.
While Pujols is short on managerial experience, his resume as a player and the respect current players have for him is part of what has drawn the Padres and other teams to vet him as a potential manager. Some in the organization have voiced the opinion that the Padres need to have more of a collective killer instinct and that getting more consistency out of some star players could help achieve that.
The Padres are also expected to interview pitching coach Ruben Niebla. The team has reportedly shown interest in Nick Hundley, who played catcher for them from 2008 to ’14 at the start of a 12-year MLB career.