SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The offseason is well underway for all of Major League Baseball, and the San Diego Padres are still making headlines.
Here’s what has happened in the past few days in the Padres world:
-- Pitching coach Ruben Niebla, considered to be one of the most important figures in the Padres organization, agreed to a multi-year contract to stay with the club, according to a Nov. 8 report from MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.
The team, as of Nov. 12, has not officially announced the deal.
Niebla, 52, joined the Padres before the 2022 season after several years with the Cleveland organization.
-- Center fielder Jackson Merrill is among the three nominees for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio are the other nominees; Skenes is also a nominee for the NL Cy Young Award.
The 21-year-old Merrill made the big league club out of spring training after switching from shortstop to centerfield -- a position he never played before -- and turned into one of the more integral players on the 2024 squad.
Merrill played in 156 games and led all rookies in batting average (.292), hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBIs (90), and slugging percentage (.500), while also playing near-elite defense.
Merrill was named a National League All-Star and registered a single in this year's Midsummer Classic.
The NL and AL Rookie of the Year Award winners will be announced on Nov. 18.
-- Manager Mike Shildt once again earned a nomination for the National League Manager of the Year Award.
In his first season as Padres skipper, Shildt led the team to 93 wins -- the second-most wins in franchise history -- and a postseason spot.
Shildt will vie for the award along with the New York Mets’ Carlos Mendoza and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Pat Murphy. The winners of the AL and NL Manager of the Year Awards will be announced
Shildt won the award in 2019 while managing the St. Louis Cardinals.
On Nov. 6, Shildt signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2027 season.
