What does future hold for Padres' A.J. Preller?

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is under contract through 2026. It’s been suggested by some that he is fairly safe in his job but a report Friday from Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic casts at least a bit of doubt on that. The report notes that an extension is possible but not guaranteed and goes into detail about some behind-the-scenes tensions between Preller and CEO Erik Greupner. The report adds that Greupner has a small stake in the team and is therefore a part owner.

The story coming out of San Diego is seemingly changing daily. The Padres lost to the Cubs in the Wild Card round but had just finished their second consecutive season winning at least 90 games. They made the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. Just last week, it was reported that Preller and manager Mike Shildt would likely return to keep the good times rolling.

But this week, Shildt surprisingly stepped down from his post. Reports then emerged of significant tumult behind the curtain, with multiple staffers having apparently had an awful time working under Shildt. Staffers from Shildt’s time with the Cardinals reported similar behavior from him at that time.

Even as the sunlight was hitting Shildt’s terrible management skills, Lin wrote that many within the Padres still expected Preller to be extended. Friday's report is a bit less firm. The report notes that some Padres employees have observed increasing tensions between Preller and Greupner.

The report notes that Preller’s preferred choice for the manager role going into 2024 was Ryan Flaherty, though it’s suggested that Greupner and special advisor Eric Kutsenda may have overruled him to tap Shildt instead. Earlier this week, Lin reported that team sources said Greupner and Kutsenda were heavily involved in Shildt’s hiring.

There has been all kinds of turnover within the Padres since Preller was hired to run the front office in 2014. The Padres were rebuilding then but, as mentioned, have emerged and been quite successful over the past six years. Those rebuilding years saw the Padres cycle through managers but even the recent on-field success hasn’t stabilized the skipper position. Jayce Tingler had the gig for 2020 and 2021 but reported clubhouse discord led to him being fired and replaced by Bob Melvin. Melvin himself lasted two years before he jumped to the Giants amid whispers of a rough relationship between him and Preller.

Peter Seidler was the owner of the club until he died in November of 2023. His death led to plenty of friction at the ownership level as well. Kutsenda was named interim control person for a while but eventually passed that title to Peter’s brother John Seidler, though there has been an ongoing legal battle about control of the club. That battle also involves Peter’s widow Sheel, as well as his brothers Matt and Bob.

It seems there’s been constant churning in the power vacuum left by Peter’s death. It’s unclear exactly how things are currently structured but Preller is working for a group that he didn’t really choose to work for and that group is working with a president of baseball operations they didn’t hire. The lack of extension for Preller could be meaningless. It could also signify that the new group isn’t as keen on him as Peter was. It could also signify that Preller isn’t thrilled with the new arrangement.

Friday's reporting from The Athletic indicates that Greupner has taken on a prominent role behind the scenes. He and Kutsenda seemingly preferred Shildt over Flaherty as they wanted to make a safe pick and stop the game of musical chairs in the dugout. Shildt was in his mid-50s and had previous managerial experience, whereas Flaherty was only 37 years old at the time and was just a few years removed from his playing days.

The attempt to stabilize the dugout didn’t work out, as Shildt is now gone. Flaherty’s name has already been connected to the Padres’ opening. Based on today’s reporting, it seems like Preller would probably like to hire Flaherty. However, it appears he may not have the ability to make a unilateral decision, based on how things went down two years ago. Perhaps the Shildt situation not playing out as hoped will earn Preller a bit more leeway to make the call this time, though that’s completely speculative.

As pointed out by The Athletic, it’s also unclear if Preller’s contract status plays a role in the managerial search. For the new skipper, you would ideally like to know that the front office leader you are working with will be around for more than one season.

Perhaps all this is much ado about nothing. It’s entirely possible that Preller is extended, maintaining continuity for a franchise that has had a lot of recent success, though like the proverbial duck which is calm above the surface and furiously kicking below. A few weeks from now, maybe Preller is secured and a new manager is hired. Whatever the path forward, the Padres should probably figure it out soon. Offseason doings are just a few weeks away and the club has a lot of work to do, as Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arráez and others are becoming free agents, with Robert Suarez likely to opt out as well.