Moments after Craig Stammen was introduced as manager of the San Diego Padres on Monday, general manager A.J. Preller turned to the former reliever and light-heartedly said, “How’d we get here?”

That’s something Padres fans and many people around baseball have wondered since Thursday, when the Padres made the surprising announcement that Stammen replaced Mike Shildt. Citing burnout, Shildt retired on Oct. 13 after just two seasons on the job, less than two weeks after the Padres were eliminated in the wild card round by the Chicago Cubs.

The 41-year-old Stammen, just three seasons removed from throwing his last big league pitch, has been with the Padres organization since 2017. Preller felt he had enough good qualities and knowledge of the team to make him skipper despite having no previ

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