Padres' A.J. Preller extension quietly reveals a familiar roster philosophy

If there is one thing that Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller can do, it is that he can surprise us all. Preller has been at the center of several shocking blockbuster moves that's left the baseball community plenty to discuss during his tenure.

Though exciting, Preller's antics have not turned into ultimate success. He's added some big names like Mason Miller via jaw-dropping trade, but at the end of the day, Preller's path has not revealed any league or World Series title.

Roster turnover, unloading of top prospects, and adding win-now players has been Preller's model, and despite it not working — yet — he was given a multi-year contract extension. With his now added time, does Preller go back to the well to try and get the Padres a World Series ring, or does he try and change his philosophy?

Padres' A.J. Preller only seems to be getting started as decision-maker for organization

Right now, the Padres' farm system is pretty barren. This is obviously due to Preller using his former top prospects as bait to bring in MLB-ready players like Juan Soto, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader — just to name a few. None of those players are still with San Diego, so something to has to give.

Preller will probably double down on his management strategies, but there needs to be some tinkering. He needs to show some good faith to his fans that these superstar players are here to stay, and not just here for one summer. It's difficult for the Padres fan to constantly reload every offseason and expect that Preller will fix the roster. Again. It's tiresome.

He's laid out the blueprint of how he operates, but that doesn't mean he needs to continue going in that direction. He could be more conservative with hanging on to top prospects. He could allow the MLB roster to grow together. Outside of the team's core of Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr., there is very little ground-roots chemistry in that dugout. That could be important come playoff time, but Preller must reflect on these last several years and make the proper adjustment to turn the Padres into a legitimate World Series contender. He has the keys, he just needs to tread slightly different.