Albert Pujols Reportedly to Interview for Padres Managerial Job After Angels Rumors

After talks about becoming manager of the Los Angeles Angels fell through, Albert Pujols is still in the mix to get the job opening with the San Diego Padres.

Per The Athletic's Dennis Lin, Pujols is considered a candidate for the Padres as they look to replace Mike Shildt and will interview with the franchise on Wednesday.

Pujols was at one point considered the favorite to be hired by the Angels as Ron Washington's replacement. It made for an obvious fit since he played for the organization from 2012 to '21 and has been working with them as a special assistant since the 2023 season under his personal services contract.

Sam Blum of The Athletic reported on Monday that Pujols was out of the running for the Angels job after the two sides "could not get close" to terms on a deal.

In addition to the Padres' interest in Pujols, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger noted the Baltimore Orioles are considering the future Hall of Famer for their managerial vacancy.

Pujols has never managed a pro team in the United States, but he did gain experience in the job with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League.

The Leones hired Pujols as their manager for the 2024-25 season. He led the club to a playoff berth with a 24-25 record during the regular season. They defeated Tigres del Licey in the Serie Final for their first league title since 2015-16.

Shildt surprisingly retired as Padres manager on Oct. 13 after two seasons with the club. He went 183-141 with playoff appearances in each of his two years in San Diego.

The Padres job is one of the more attractive managerial openings this offseason. They have a good roster foundation in place, led by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill, plus a general manager in A.J. Preller who isn't afraid to be aggressive in adding talent.

San Diego has had four consecutive winning seasons with four playoff appearances in six seasons dating back to 2020.