Padres Say They Aren’t Rebuilding – Just Adding Balance

Don’t bring up the rebuilding word when you talk to Padres General Manager A.J. Preller. He insists that isn’t the case and that the Padres still have a chance to regroup and be competitive in the tough National League West.

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According to an interview with John Perrotta of USA Today, Preller thinks it is important people allow some time for the pieces to develop. He talks about his mentorship with Don Welke who is the vice-president of scouting organization for the Padres:

“Don Welke says that first you’ve got to have ability and then you’ve got to have stability.”

It is Preller’s belief that he is slowly building up that ability and hopes to restart a new era of stability for the Padres. This philosophy might explain as well why he waited until June to fire Bud Black instead of just firing him before the season even started.

Now he has “his” guy with new manager Andy Green. The coaching staff that he inherited has been merged with Mark Kotsay heading to Oakland as a coach and Dave Roberts managing the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

Preller is taking a different approach this off-season, trading away veterans with big contracts to give more all-around stability for the team.

"“We’re trying to get some balance on the roster, we’re trying to get more athletic players up the middle, more left-handed bats, taking some of the money we were spending on the bullpen and spreading it out throughout the organization. I wouldn’t say it’s a reboot, a rebuild or a retool. We’re just trying to become a better team and a better organization.”"

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From the outside the Padres are well served to just blow almost everything up and start over. Can you build around two players in their 30’s with Matt Kemp and James Shields? How long will the rebuild even take?

Talent – then stability says Preller. The minor league talent is being re-stocked by the moment and the major league club still carries some high ceiling talent potential with Wil Myers and youngsters Cory Spangenberg and Travis Jankowski. Just what other talen is around them remains to be seen.