The team announced Monday that Black and four coaches will return next season. Bench coach Craig Colbert did not have his contract renewed.

Black has guided the Padres to a 152-173 record during his two seasons as manager, including a 63-99 mark this season. The 99 losses were the most since 1993, when the Padres had 101.

"We have the confidence and trust in Buddy to lead the club back to our winning ways," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said in a statement. "When we hired him before the 2007 season, the most important element to us was to bring in a manager who would continue to grow with the Padres' organization."

During the final week of the regular season, several Padres players voiced their support of Black, saying that the 99-loss season wasn't a mark against him and that at no time did he lose his players.

San Diego third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff appreciated the faith Black showed in him in his rookie season a year ago, when Kouzmanoff got off to a slow start at the plate and was hitting .108 as late as May 7.

"It said a lot about him to hang in there with me and to stick with me and give me a shot to pull out of it," said Kouzmanoff, who went on to hit .275 with 18 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2007.

"I liked Buddy as a manager. He is an ex-player himself. He understands the game and is very knowledgeable about the game. He's laid-back, but at the same time he has some fire in him and he wants to win. That's why I like playing for him."

The Padres picked up Black's 2009 option during Spring Training.

Pitching coach Darren Balsley, bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, first-base coach Rick Renteria and third-base coach Glenn Hoffman also were retained for 2009.

Colbert, the bench coach the past two seasons, is the second departure from the 2008 staff in a week. Last week, hitting coach Wally Joyner resigned.

Colbert spent the last 11 seasons in the Padres' organization.

"Craig has been a valuable member of the Padres organization for many years," said Towers. "We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

Colbert, 43, managed the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in Portland for three seasons (2004-06), leading the Beavers to a 222-209 mark. Colbert also managed at Double-A Mobile (2002-03), Class A Lake Elsinore (2001) and Class A Fort Wayne (2000).

Colbert, who played 13 years professionally, including parts of two seasons as a catcher for the Giants (1992-93), began his coaching career as a player-coach for Las Vegas in 1998.

"I am grateful to Kevin Towers and the Padres for the opportunities I have had in this organization," Colbert said. "I am very proud of my accomplishments as a player, coach and manager in my 14 years with the Padres' organization."

In addition to finding a new bench coach, the Padres will also be looking to find a new hitting coach to replace Joyner, who was hired during the 2007 season.

Towers said it would be "helpful" to hire somebody familiar with the Padres' philosophy as the next hitting coach, possibly somebody already in the system.

"We need to be very thorough in the offseason identifying the right people who will follow through with the game plan, what we want to be taught at the big league level with what we're doing at the Minor League level," Towers said. "Hopefully, the results are positive ones."