Padres' AJ Preller Receives Major Update on Potential Contract Extension

Oct 17, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller speaks on the phone during NLCS workouts at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Padres general manager A.J. Preller has a lot of work to do after manager Mike Shildt made the surprising announcement earlier this week that he would be retiring.

An offseason that already had high stakes — as the Padres are in need of some major offensive upgrades — is now one that will have to answer the existential question of who will lead the Padres on the field.

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Fortunately for the Padres, their off-the-field leadership questions appear to have been answered. While Preller is entering this season on the final year of his deal, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Preller is expected to be offered a contract extension this offseason.

Preller joined the Padres in 2014 as the executive vice president/general manager. In 2021, he was promoted to his current position of president of baseball operations and general manager.

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With Preller, the Padres have made it to the postseason three times in the last four years, winning over 90 games in each of the past two seasons. Preller has overseen the contract signings of free agents Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim, among many others. Additionally, he's made trades for players including Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Josh Hader, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr.

While Preller's contract extension is rumored, he has not confirmed anything to the media and is currently only under contract through the 2026 season.

When asked about his future in San Diego, Preller called it a conversation "between me and ownership."

“I love San Diego,” Preller said. “I enjoy the people here, feel responsible for the people that are here and really enjoy the relationships. I’m looking forward to this offseason, honestly, and the future.”

In the meantime, Preller is making his pitch for why some of the league's best available managerial candidates should consider heading to San Diego for the open role.

“I think it’s a really attractive job,” Preller said. “Everybody talks about the atmosphere that has been created by the fans of San Diego. You get 3.5 million fans coming to the ballpark, year in, year out. It’s a great organization. We produce players. We put talented rosters on the field. We go to the playoffs. I think it’s the challenge of winning a World Series in a city that hasn’t done it before. We have some phenomenal players and staff.

“I can only tell you in the last few hours, you get a lot of people reaching out.”

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