Using iconic 'James Franco wink,' Royals icon flirts with Padres skipper idea after Mike Shildt's sudden retirement

After a largely underwhelming run in this year's postseason, Padres skipper Mike Shildt shocked the MLB sphere on Monday after announcing his sudden retirement from baseball through a letter, citing mental, physical, and emotional fatigue. Shildt has been in the team's coaching staff since 2022 before being elevated as the team's skipper last season. He led the squad to two, albeit, disappointing postseason appearances during his managerial tenure with the club.

With Shildt's surprising retirement, fans on social media shared their thoughts on who should replace the former NL Manager of the Year. One name that has been making the rounds is Royals great and former Padre, Eric Hosmer. In a statement, Hosmer playfully had an exchange with a fan using a mischievous gif of actor James Franco winking upon the idea of him being the next Friars manager.

The four-time Gold Glover's career started in San Diego in 2018 when he signed an eight-year, $144 million deal, which was a club record at the time. However, after just four-and-a-half seasons, he was dealt in the 2022 deadline to the Red Sox in a move that involved prospect Jay Groome.

Many MLB fans to this day still remember that Hosmer wasn't actually supposed to be a Red Sock, but instead a Washington National as a part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. However, Hosmer utilized his no-trade clause, leading the Padres to include slugger Luke Voit to finish off the deal.

Though it will be a tough task to replace Shildt, who holds the sixth-highest win percentage among managers with at least 450 games in the modern era, Hosmer would be the second-youngest manager to ever be appointed to such a role after Cardinals mentor Oliver Marmol's selection in 2021 at just 35 years old.

Padres bow out of the postseason against Cubs

The Padres once again suffered another heartbreaking series loss in the postseason after a sputtering offense led the opposing Cubs to advance to the NLDS.

Although the NL Wild Card Series between the two sides reached three games, the Padres barely had a chance to get involved in the matchup after scattering just 18 base hits across all of the games. This left the door open for the Cubbies to capitalize and push themselves over the line to the next round.

With the fourth-most expensive payroll, controversies regarding the team's ownership, and no manager heading into the 2026 season, questions will be asked about how the Padres would handle such complex situations as they look to overtake the Dodgers as the top dogs in the NL West.

Edited by Daniel Santiago