Former San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt revealed some new details about his decision to resign, including the immense pressure he was facing late in the team’s season.
Shildt divulged that he received death threats from some fans late in the season, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Shildt said that it contributed to a pressure-packed environment he is happy to get away from.
“One of the reasons I am going to leave is a frustration with the stress and the inability to please everybody,” Shildt said. “… I made a decision to go home because of this. I’m tired of dealing with it.”
The story details how Shildt’s perfectionism alienated some members of the organization, and that he had a strained relationship with the front office. Shildt himself defended the fact that he held players and staff to a “high standard” while also acknowledging that the issues that led to his resignation were similar to those that forced him out of his previous job with the St. Louis Cardinals.
There are no doubts that Shildt was faced with high expectations. The Padres have invested heavily, and there is a perception they have not quite had as much success as they should have. They made it to the NLCS in 2022 under previous manager Bob Melvin, and had the Los Angeles Dodgers down 2-1 in the 2024 NLDS before losing two straight and the series.
Though they won 90 games in 2025 for a second straight season, the Padres finished second in the NL West and lost in three games in the NL Wild Card series.
Shildt is intense, and we have seen examples of that publicly. He clearly put a lot into a pressure-packed job, and some fans clearly crossed the line in a way that has become far too common. It certainly contributed to his stress, and from everything he said, he will not miss managing as a result.
