Good Morning San Diego: Craig Stammen has familiar faces to look to in first season at the helm

San Diego Padres Manager Craig Stammen finalized his coaching staff over recent weeks and seemed to lean on past relationships to do so. Stammen brought in names he is familiar with from his time as a player in MLB, and while his personal experience is beneficial, it is limited to pitching. Stammen’s recent hires add more experience and knowledge of different positions on the field to his staff. With a diverse group of coaches, the thought is Padres players will find one or two they can connect with to make 2026 a successful season for Stammen and San Diego.

Padres News:

• Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune continued his offseason roster review of the Padres with the subject of his article being reliever Alek Jacob. The right-hander had an up and down season in 2025 and Sanders cites his inability to consistently throw strikes as the reason why.

Baseball News:

• The Arizona Diamondbacks have emerged as a new potential suitor for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
• The Los Angeles Angels added two arms to their bullpen, coming to terms with Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano. Left-hander Pomeranz and right-hander Romano each agreed to one-year deals.
• Reliever Chris Martin and the Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year deal, which means he will return to Arlington for the 2026 season.
• The San Francisco Giants added right-hander Adrian Houser to their rotation on a two-year, $22 million deal and added reliever Jason Foley to their bullpen on a one-year deal.
• The Chicago Cubs and left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar agreed to a one-year deal, Tuesday.
• The Athletics were in on free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim before he decided to return to Atlanta on a one-year deal. The A’s offered Kim a four-year, $48 million deal, which he ultimately declined.