Albert Pujols wraps up second interview with San Diego
The San Diego Padres they are still looking for their next manager. The hottest topic in the search is the former superstar Albert Pujolswho already interviewed for the Padres manager job first time last week.
Kevin Acee, Padres beat writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, broke the news Pujols recently had interviewed for the second time. The relationship is heating up and there’s a chance Pujols ends up as the Padres’ manager for 2026 and potentially beyond.
Pujols is currently the manager of the Dominican Republic and will lead them to the World Baseball Classic in March 2026. He will gain extensive experience coaching two Dominican stars on the Padres, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Both should play for DR in the WBC.
The friars are forced to move on from Mike Schildtsince he retired from coaching after the season. Shields led the Padres to two playoff appearances in two seasons and helped the team reach back-to-back 90-win seasons for the first time in club history. It would be a big difference from Schildt to Pujols, but there are benefits to hiring Pujols as the next manager.
Pujols takes coaching seriously. He didn’t get the job with the Los Angeles Angels, because they went in a different direction and hired Kurt Suzuki, who is also the first coach as a former player.
Here’s what Pujols had to say about coaching before the season started.
“For me, I’ve always been serious about everything I do in this game,” Pujols told USA Today in March, “and now I’m serious about managing. This game has done a lot for me and now I want to give back. I’m ready.”
2025-10-29 00:37:00
