Padres' AJ Preller Provides Update on Contract Extension

Mar 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on before an Opening Day baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller addressed his contract, which is up after the upcoming season.

Preller has led a golden era of baseball in San Diego, attracting stars to the team and constructing rosters that have advanced deep into the postseason.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill form the current core of the team, while superstar Juan Soto recently played for the team as well, along with Cy Young contender Dylan Cease.

All of these players were brought to the franchise through moves made by Preller, who is known for wheeling and dealing, making trades that are perceived to be risky.

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Not all of his moves have paid off. The Soto trade involved sending out several highly touted prospects who are excelling with the Washington Nationals, while Soto himself was traded to the New York Yankees and is currently with the New York Mets.

Preller bet that Soto would stay and sign a long-term deal with the franchise, making the prospect package worthwhile, but it didn't turn out that way.

Despite his swings and misses, Preller has made the most of the limited pool of resources in San Diego, and heading into a season without securing his future with the team, the executive appears calm about the proceedings.

“Like I’ve said before, I’m looking forward to being here for a long-time,” Preller told Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“I don’t know. I’m under contract for next year. … Like I say it all the time, I love San Diego and the city and the organization. … We’re in a spot where we’ve got to go put a coaching staff together. We’ve got … free agency and trades are starting. We’re leaving here and few minutes to go to the GM meetings and kind of kick off the offseason. So I think that’s, that’s really the focus. And, you know, I’ll continue to have conversations with John about it.”

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The Padres made the National League Wild Card but failed to advance past the first round, losing to the Chicago Cubs in three games. There are several pending free agents they need to make decisions on, while also exploring trade and free agency options in hopes of improving the team and making a stronger push next season.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.