Padres: Reflecting on Tenure of President Mike Dee

In the wake of serious changes being made at the top of the Padres organization, it is time to take a moment to consider the accomplishments of Mike Dee.

During his time as the President and CEO of the San Diego Padres, Mike Dee altered the course of the organization. Following his release on Wednesday morning which was little surprise to many, his tenure in San Diego was put into perspectives. Both his accomplishments and shortcomings will still have an impact on the organization as it moves forward, even if his time with the Padres is not considered overly successful.

Most notably, Dee hired San Diego’s current manager Andy Green and general manager A.J. Preller. Many are optimistic about Green at the helm in coming years, and are convinced that he is the right man to manage the team through its current rebuilding process. Preller, on the other hand, is not quite as popular. In some cases, fans are calling for his release, and the media is wondering whether it is coming soon.

In summary, Dee’s time in San Diego was not ideal. During the three full seasons in which Dee served as general manager, the Padres went 219-267, resulting in a winning percentage of 45%. They also lost more games each subsequent season since 2014 when he took over, culminating in a last place finish in the NL West in 2016.

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Of course, records during the last three seasons alone do not fully indicate the performance of an organization’s President. After all, many of his moves were geared towards the long run, including the hiring of Preller and Green. The trades he was a part of also reflect this long term rebuilding strategy, as the Padres have shipped some of their best players such as Drew Pomeranz, James Shields, Craig Kimbrel, and Matt Kemp in favor of prospects who are still developing. For this reason, judgement should be reserved on Dee’s tenure. We may thank him later.

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Dee will always be remembered for his time as President of the organization during one of its rougher patches. The results did not nearly turn out as intended while he was here, but it is possible that a good amount of his work could still contribute to the transformation of this team even with him gone. As always, we will have to wait and see, and move forward from the Mike Dee era.

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