San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt (center) poses for a photograph with president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller (left) and chief executive officer Erik Greupner after a press conference announcing the hiring of Shildt at Petco Park on Nov. 21, 2023. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Padres Expect to Re-Sign A.J. Preller to Contract Extension: Reports

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is entering the final year of his contract in 2026.

Expect that to change soon.

Padres chairman Erik Greupner told 97.3-FM in San Diego that "part of that review process is going to be looking for a new manager ... but it's also going to involve, and is already in process involving, a review of A.J. and a contract extension. That's already started."

Greupner said on the "Ben and Woods" show Monday that Padres chairman John Seidler is "taking the lead" in those negotiations.

"It's always been the plan that the discussions around A.J. and an extension would take place at the beginning of the offseason," Greupner said. "We're optimistic that A.J. will be our president of baseball operations past 2026."

Greupner effectively confirmed earlier reports from The Athletic 's Jim Bowden ( on Twitter/X ) and Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal ( who quoted Preller directly) that Preller has a strong relationship with the CEO and others in the Padres' ownership ranks.

To be clear AJ Preller is happy in San Diego, has a strong relationship with ownership and wants to stay long term and all indications I’m getting is the feelings are mutual. AJ and ownership continued focus is to bring a World Championship to San Diego over the next few years.
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) October 20, 2025

"We work well together and we're aligned in our goal of winning a World Series championship and that's not going to change," Greupner said in his appearance on "Ben and Woods".

To the extent that anything stands between Preller and an extension, at least one factor is out of his control.

When manager Mike Shildt abruptly resigned last week, it left Preller and Greupner with an immediate priority. Greupner told 97.3-FM the Padres are scheduled to interview their first managerial candidate Monday.

It's possible that Preller could finalize his extension before the Padres' next manager is announced. As pointed out by Rosenthal and Lin, it's common for the manager and general manager (or POBO) to have contracts with coinciding expiration dates.

If the new manager wants a three-year contract, for example, Preller might agree to a two-year extension through 2028 to assure the manager he won't have a new boss during his time in San Diego.

A less complicating factor, Greupner said, is his own relationship with Preller. Lin and Rosenthal, citing unnamed sources within the organization, reported "employees throughout the organization noticed increasing tension between Preller and Greupner over the last two years."

In his comments on "Ben and Woods," Greupner called that "much ado about nothing."

"What each of us brings to the table is, I think, a continuing key to our success," he said.

Given the public statements from Greupner and Preller, anything less than a multi-year extension for Preller in the near future would be a surprise.