Why Padres should consider moving on from A.J. Preller

Out of all the teams that entered the MLB postseason in 2025, the San Diego Padres have the most question marks heading into the offseason. 

Losing to the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card round and having their manager, Mike Shildt, decide to retire puts the Padres in an awkward position. This awkward spot begs the question, "Can their president of baseball operations and general manager, A.J. Preller, build a roster to get the Padres past the Los Angeles Dodgers and win them their first World Series in franchise history?"

A.J. Preller has not had a good tenure as Padres president of baseball operations 

Preller entered his fifth season as Padres president of baseball operations and general manager in 2025. Before being elevated, Preller had been the vice president and general manager since August 2014. 

During Preller’s tenure, he led the Padres to three postseasons, with 2022 being the furthest his teams went, losing 4-1 in the National League Championship Series to the Phillies. The Padres have not won the National League West since 2006. 

Preller’s quest to achieve the Padres' first World Series had gotten the team into a precarious situation in 2023, where Major League Baseball had to loan it $50 million to cover payroll expenses. The Padres had the third-highest payroll in 2023. 

One of those glaring expenses was when Preller overpaid for shortstop Xander Bogaerts, signing him to an 11-year, $280 million deal leading into the 2023 season. Since signing, Bogaerts has not been the same player he was when with the Boston Red Sox. In three seasons in San Diego, Bogaerts has slashed .272/.331/.407 with an OPS of .738, whereas he slashed .292/.356/.458 with an OPS of .814 in 10 seasons with Boston. Preller has also had a problem with managers, having had four since 2019. He’ll now be looking for a fifth. 

A failed "all-in" attempt by A.J. Preller and options for his replacement 

The icing on top of the cake for Preller, and why his tenure in San Diego should end, was his failed "all-in" attempt at the trade deadline in 2025. Pushing all his chips into the middle, Preller traded 14 prospects for eight players, two of whom, Ryan O’Hearn and Nestor Cortes, are free agents to lose in the first round. 

Preller acquired Mason Miller from the Athletics, who is still under team control for a few more seasons. But it cost him the Padres' best prospect and the third-best prospect in baseball, Leo De Vries, who should be a star. Miller was the Padres' best reliever in the playoffs, as he did not allow an earned run and struck out eight in 2.2 innings. He could still be a starter, with Dylan Cease and Michael King departing for free agency. 

There are a few potential replacements for Preller if the Padres decide to move on from him, as a few candidates emerged when the Washington Nationals were seeking someone to fill their vacancy after firing their long-term president of baseball operations, Mike Rizzo. Rizzo is one option, but a few others would be Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero, Cubs assistant general manager Carter Hawkins and Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes.