MLB executives warn Padres’ AJ Preller is primed for an aggressive 2026 offseason

A.J. Preller and the Padres are going to have an aggressive offseason. Everyone knew this, even before their collapse in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, people knew how the Padres operated ahead of the trade deadline.

When it comes to improving the team’s roster, Preller always remains sharp and keeps an open mind when making moves that are best for the Padres. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, teams around the league that have done business with San Diego know this, and he can be very hard to figure out. 

“Preller drives everyone nuts,” an AL executive said. “He basically kept multiple teams on the hook as he shopped De Vries. He was a buyer, but kind of operated as a seller in terms of auctioning off De Vries to the highest bidder.”

Leo De Vries is MLB’s No. 3–ranked prospect, but when negotiating in talks to ship him elsewhere, Preller made the deal happen from a seller's perspective. He saw De Vries as an asset to trade away, and it ended up helping him acquire Mason Miller from the Athletics, one of the league's most electric relief pitchers.

“They’ll still have a solid core of players to build around,” an AL executive said. “I can’t see a scenario where they don’t continue to work on adding pieces that they think can help them win a championship.”

The Padres have too many players set to depart in free agency, but even if they all leave, they still maintain a solid core to rebuild around. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackson Merrill aren’t going anywhere; they will serve as foundational pieces.

With $40 million in available money, Preller is set to be driven during this offseason. We are sure he is evaluating the market for starting pitching while also looking to fill holes in the infield.

At the same time, it would not be a surprise if Preller were a seller in order to add to a farm system that ranks as one of the worst in baseball.