Remember when former Padres manager Mike Shildt stepped away and said the job had become too stressful?

Well, that retirement lasted only 44 days. And before anyone assumes he’s headed back to San Diego—no!!! Shildt is returning, but he’s joining the Orioles instead. Baltimore has already been one of the most intriguing teams this offseason with moves like adding Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Ward, but landing Shildt came totally out of left field.

However, MLB fans haven’t forgotten his quick change of heart, and they might not be thrilled about it.

“The Orioles are hiring former Padres manager Mike Shildt as their upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction, source confirms. And Samuel Vega is the lower-level coordinator,” Orioles insider Andy Kostka broke the news via X.

Well, Shildt isn’t joining the Orioles as their new manager. Instead, he’s taking on a rookie-development role. That’s surely much less pressure than his previous job. But you can bet Padres fans aren’t exactly thrilled. Why? Here was the guy who just helped lead San Diego into the 2025 postseason, and now he’s walking away to join a rival so soon.

Notably, Shildt went 183–141 in his two seasons running the Padres and led the team to the playoffs in back-to-back years, something the team has rarely done. But just after their season wrapped up, the 57-year-old surprised everyone by retiring. He still had two years left on his deal, but said the job had really worn him down. So he decided it was time to walk away.

And here he is now, taking a role in Baltimore….

Reportedly, Shildt has deep roots with the Orioles… His mom worked for Baltimore’s Double-A affiliate and often took him to the ballpark. And over time, he served as a bat boy, scoreboard attendant, and clubhouse attendant for the organization.

But are the Padres fans ready to accept Shildt in the new role? The social media chatter doesn’t feel so.

Mike Shildt gets called out by the Padres fans

More than the role Shildt will play now, Padres fans are concerned about how his stress has been resolved. “Hope he can manage the stress,” one fan said. “So that’s a stress-free job?” Added another.

Well, managing talent development in minors is undoubtedly less stressful compared to managing an MLB team. Moreover, if you check the 2025 stats of the Padres and Orioles, you would know the difference. The Padres are a playoff-bound team and all expected to offer that kind of performance. In contrast, the Orioles remained as baseball dwellers this year.

“That is a smart move. maybe or next GM,” another one added. A sarcastic dig or what? For the unversed, Shildt first joined the Padres in early 2022 as a player-development consultant. But then in 2023, the Padres made him their principal league manager under a two-year contract. So, for the fans, he seems to be following the same route here with the Orioles. “Thought he retired?” Another user remarked.

A few fans are quite sure that Shildt had left the Padres, but not baseball. “So, Shildt did quit on the Padres.” The Padres are reportedly facing ownership issues and budgetary constraints. Moreover, just after he left San Diego, he alleged he received death threats during the season. So yes, there could be many other reasons for Shildt to leave the Padres.

For now, we will not see him taking the opponents out of the dugout, but if he follows the same path he did with the Padres, who knows what’s ahead.