The San Diego Padres and General Manager A.J. Preller agreed to a multiyear contract extension Monday, the team announced, as Spring Training began. Preller, who also holds the title of President of Baseball Operations, was entering the final year of his current contract.
The Padres have reached the postseason in four of the last six seasons, a significant turnaround after a 13-year playoff drought that ended in 2007, seven years before Preller’s hiring. The team has also experienced consecutive 90-win seasons, a first in franchise history, and has set attendance records at Petco Park for the past three years. In 2022, San Diego reached the National League Championship Series, falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.
“Under his guidance, our organization has continued to invest in elite talent at both the Major League and Minor League levels, although building a strong group of baseball operations, scouting, and player development,” said Padres President John Seidler in a statement. “We are confident he will continue to relentlessly pursue the first World Series championship for San Diego.”
Preller, 48, joined the Padres in 2014 after serving as the Assistant General Manager for the Texas Rangers. Prior to his time in Texas, he spent three years in baseball operations with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres’ longtime rivals.
During his tenure, Preller has overseen the acquisitions of star players like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts through free agency, and facilitated trades that brought Fernando Tatis Jr. And Juan Soto to San Diego. He has also overseen the development of a farm system that produced 2024 All-Star center fielder Jackson Merrill.
Preller’s time with the Padres has not been without controversy. In 2016, he received a 30-day suspension after Major League Baseball investigated the handling of medical information during a trade with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox had expressed concerns about the completeness of medical information provided regarding left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who was traded to San Diego for pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza.
A.J. Preller now has the second-longest tenure of any baseball operations chief in Major League Baseball, trailing only Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees, who has been the Yankees’ general manager since 1998.
