Padres' AJ Preller 'Drives Everyone Nuts' Says Anonymous AL Exec

Nov 21, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller speaks to the media during a press conference announcing the hiring of manager Mike Shildt (not pictured) at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

An American League executive claimed San Diego Padres general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller "drives everyone nuts" after another active trade deadline.

The Padres made five trades at the deadline and brought in seven players, addressing their needs and greatly improving their chances for a championship. Altogether they parted with 15 players to bring in Mason Miller, JP Sears, Ramon Laureano, Ryan O'Hearn, Freddy Fermin, Nestor Cortes, Jorge Quintana and Will Wagner.

Preller shocked everyone at the deadline by dealing MLB No. 3 prospect Leo De Vries along with three other prospects in exchange for Miller and Sears.

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The Padres pulled a similar stunt in 2024, making four deals at the deadline and sending out nine total prospects, six of whom were in their Top 12.

“He basically kept multiple teams on the hook as he shopped De Vries," said the executive to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. "He was a buyer, but kind of operated like a seller in terms of auctioning off De Vries to the highest bidder.”

The Padres weren't the only ones who went all in at this season's deadline though, as contenders across the league raced to snatch up valuable assets from selling teams. The Seattle Mariners got two of the Arizona Diamondbacks' best bats, the Philadelphia Phillies brought in Jhoan Duran to reinforce their bullpen and the Texas Rangers created what could be the best rotation in the league.

The moves seem to have paid off for the Padres so far, as they're 4-2 since the July 31 deadline. They have pulled within two games of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have led the division since the beginning of the season and have struggled as of late.

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The Padres are in prime position to dethrone them, and their strong deadline may have given them just what they needed to get over the line. The Padres and Dodgers will play each other in two series before the end of August, both of which will carry massive postseason implications.

Before squaring off with their division rivals, however, the Padres will need to focus on taking down the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:40 p.m. PT.

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