The Padres quietly showed their hand with A.J. Preller’s extension

The Padres had to answer a wide range of questions this offseason surrounding multiple areas. From starting pitching to first base, catcher, and even manager, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller did everything he could to answer the call with a limited amount of resources.

For starters, the Padres didn’t have much money available in their payroll, as most of it was already invested in long-term contracts. On top of that, the team also yielded the worst farm system in all of MLB, largely due to the flurry of trades they made at the deadline. A total of 13 prospects departed in exchange for Mason Miller, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón, Laureano, and Freddy Fermin.

The Padres only made two worthwhile moves, the first being bringing back Michael King on a three-year deal. The second move was signing KBO star Sung-mun Song to a four-year, $15 million contract. 

The Padres just sent a bold message with A.J. Preller’s extension

An obvious move that the team also made was hiring Craig Stammen to become their new manager, after Mike Shildt stepped down from the role.

However, the man making all of the moves (Preller) was always going to be at the center of the Padres’ next big decision, and the extension he received reflects how the organization viewed his work heading into 2026.

There were definitely questions surrounding Preller’s future in San Diego, considering how the season ended in 2025. Trading away the future to go all in and coming up short is inexcusable on its own, but the fact that the team hasn’t made any moves this offseason to reload is even worse.

Preller commented on that:

“I know we haven’t been super transactional (with roster moves this offseason) … but the focus (is) on winning and putting a team together and free agents and trades.”

Despite the mixed opinions, we believe that Preller did enough to keep the team in contention, and it would’ve been wrong to move on from him over one failed season.