Padres Named Among Biggest Winners of Offseason, Further Proving AJ Preller's Greatness

The San Diego Padres, through a series of shrewd offseason moves, are once again looking like title contenders, much to the credit of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

Preller made the brilliant move to give Gavin Sheets a chance after he was released from the Chicago White Sox, a move that has paid off in spades, as Sheets has been a solid hitter, meaningfully out-performing his minor league deal that he signed over the winter.

Also during the winter, Preller added pitcher Nick Pivetta, who has been one of the best signings so far providing key depth and a rock-solid arm that has helped the team navigate injuries to its rotation.

The acquisitions caught the eye of MLB.com writer Thomas Harrigan, who lauded Preller for his moves and named the Padres a winner from the offseason.

"With so many large contracts already on the books, the Padres didn’t make many additions to their roster over the winter, straying from general manager A.J. Preller’s usual M.O.," Harrigan wrote in an article about the teams with the best offseasons.

"In fact, much of the offseason chatter involving the Padres had to do with which of their stars they might trade away in an effort to reallocate their resources and replace some notable departures.

"However, after spring camp had already opened up, San Diego swooped in to sign starter Nick Pivetta -- a move that has proven to be even more crucial than anticipated.

"Shortly before landing Pivetta, the Padres made the decidedly less splashy move to sign Gavin Sheets-- non-tendered by the 121-loss White Sox in November -- to a Minor League contract."

Through his career in the front office, Preller has garnered a reputation for being someone who is always looking to make a deal if he believes it will help the team.

He has swung major risky trades for superstars like Juan Soto and Dylan Cease, both of which cost a good deal of assets, but have helped the team continue to contend each season.

Three of the best players in baseball call San Diego their home — Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merill — and while those three continue to play for the Padres, Preller is likely to continue to push for roster improvement to capitalize on their talent.

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