Morning Coffee with Mark Whelan: What We Want from the New Padres GM

We should be finding out who the new GM is soon. Mike Dee has been saying the decision would be made shortly after the trading deadline, and that was five days ago. It’s likely that the announcement will be made this week.

For the last two weeks or so, we’ve been hearing that Rangers’ Assistant General Manager A.J. Preller is a strong frontrunner for the position. But then Sunday, Fox Sports San Diego analyst Scott Miller tweeted that Yankees Assistant GM Billy Eppler is still under strong consideration.

And just last night, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote that the team now appears to be focused more on Eppler.

The other finalists are Mike Hazen, currently the Red Sox Assistant GM, and Kim Ng, the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball. But it sounds like they are less likely to be offered the position.

Obviously, there are a lot of things to take into account when choosing the right candidate. Experience. Leadership. Payroll management. Negotiating skill. Ability to judge a player’s value. Ability to convince the ownership that his or her way is the best way.

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So who’s the better choice between Preller and Eppler?

I don’t know. Who am I, Mike Dee? I haven’t met these guys.

I just want someone who will bring winning baseball to San Diego. I want someone who will take San Diego and make it into a baseball town. I want someone who will bring some star players to the Padres, whether through the draft, trades, or free agency. I want someone who can turn around the image of the Padres from perennial also-rans to perennial favorites to go deep in the postseason.

I want the person who will lead us to our first World Series title. And then, after we win, I want to win it again.

So is that Billy Eppler or A.J. Preller? Let us know soon, won’t you, front office? We’ve got plans for this team.