Padres should mirror this Angels manager hiring blueprint

Front offices across the league are beginning to come to decisions on who they want to lead their clubhouses for the future, and the San Diego Padres are not one of those teams. A.J. Preller is truly doing his due diligence for this hiring process; this isn’t his first rodeo after all.

The three clubs that have already made up their minds are the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, and San Francisco Giants. However, the Angels did something very interesting, and we believe it isn’t getting enough attention.

Padres should follow the Angels model after the Kurt Suzuki hire

The Giants and Rangers, respectively, inked their new managers to multi-year contracts, while the Angels signed Kurt Suzuki to a one-year deal. The reason for this is to have Suzuki, and GM Perry Minasian on deals that expire simultaneously. The club can then make the decision whether they want to fire or retain both.

This should be an approach that Padres owner John Seidler considers with A.J. Preller, as the club looks to find a manager. Why not put him on a “prove-it” contract, linking the two together?

Preller inherited a team that was a bottom-feeder in the NL West division, enduring tumultuous sub-.500 seasons.

Fast forward to 2025: the team has made playoff appearances in four of the past six seasons but has only made it to the NLCS once and never to the World Series. You are only going to have players like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts in their prime for a little bit longer, and you need to win now.

That’s why it may be wise to follow the same blueprint as the Angels and sign a new manager to a one-year contract that coincides with Preller’s.

The fact that Preller was able to turn this team’s trajectory around when taking the helm will never go unnoticed, as it gave one of the best fan bases in sports something to look forward to. But at some point, you need to draw a line in the dirt and realize that you need to win now.