The San Diego Padres are coming off a season in which they won just 66 games and finished last in the NL West, but they feel good about the moves their general manager made heading into 2019.
When Padres players entered their clubhouse on Wednesday morning, a shirt that featured general manager A.J. Preller’s face and the message “In Preller We Trust” was hanging at every locker.
The Padres named Preller their general manager back in 2014, and it wasn’t that long ago that it looked like he might be dismissed. If you remember, Preller was suspended by MLB for 30 days following some shady antics when he traded left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox.
All is apparently forgiven now, and the Padres are obviously pleased that Preller was able to beat out the big-market teams to sign Manny Machado to a $300 million deal this offseason. While Machado has already tried to temper expectations heading into his first season in San Diego, the Padres clearly feel good about where they’re at.
More must-reads: