Preller stays on, signs multiyear extension with Padres

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres have signed A.J. Preller to a long-awaited contract extension, the team announced Monday, just as Spring Training gets underway.

Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations and general manager, has led the team’s front office since 2014. He was entering his final season under contract.

“A.J.’s skill and relentless commitment to winning have positioned the Padres for sustained success, and we are pleased to extend his contract,” chairman John Seidler said in a statement to announce the extension. “Under his guidance, our organization has continued to invest in elite talent at both the Major and Minor League levels while building a strong baseball operations, scouting and player development group. We are confident he will continue to tirelessly pursue the first World Series championship for San Diego.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to John, [CEO] Erik Greupner and our ownership group for their continued trust in me and the vision we have for this organization,” Preller said. “San Diego is a special place, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the last decade while knowing there’s still more work to be done. I’m excited for the Padres’ future and fully committed to bringing a championship to our fans and this city.”

The Padres haven’t yet reached that goal under Preller. But he has nonetheless presided over what has to be considered the most successful era in the franchise’s history. Across the past six seasons, they’ve reached the playoffs four times, including consecutive trips to the postseason in 2024-25.

As word of Preller’s extension trickled through the clubhouse Monday morning, Padres players were predictably enthused. Preller’s aggressive, all-out style is widely respected by the players on the roster he’s built -- including the two most notable players he’s brought on board during his tenure.

“I don’t know anyone that loves this organization and cares about this organization, cares about this franchise, cares about these players in this clubhouse more than [Preller],” said Manny Machado.

“If somebody can bring a championship to San Diego,” added Fernando Tatis Jr., “it’s definitely A.J. Preller.”

Preller has spent parts of 12 seasons as Padres GM, hired in August 2014. After swinging big (and missing big) in his first full season, he presided over a rebuild for a few years, before the franchise’s ascent to perennial contention.

Through it all, Preller has maintained his freewheeling style. No prospect has ever been off-limits through a trade. During his tenure, he dealt for Tatis, Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Josh Hader, among others. On multiple occasions, experts deemed the Padres' farm system finished -- only for Preller to rebuild it through the Draft and international signings.

That was never more true than last summer, when the Padres made five trades involving 22 players at the Trade Deadline. In the biggest blockbuster of the day, the Padres landed flame-throwing relief ace Mason Miller for the steep price of No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries (and three other prospects).

Not all of Preller's trades have worked out -- and he always seemed to understand that they wouldn't.

"One thing we have never been scared of is: We're going to trade players," Preller said after one frenzied Deadline, and that just about sums up his philosophy.

As the calendar ticked toward the season, there had been some concern that Preller, entering his final season under contract, might not return to San Diego. Through it all, he maintained a belief publicly that a deal would get done.

“When the time’s right, the moment’s right, we’re hoping to line up on something and have something here that can be focusing me back on the field,” Preller said earlier this week during his annual start-of-spring media availability. “We’ll see where it goes.”

The moment was right, evidently, only a few days later.

Preller’s spot in charge of the Padres’ baseball operations department is secure. His legacy as one of the most successful -- and certainly one of the most influential -- Padres executives is probably secure as well. Though it’s missing a trip to what he recently called “the big stage.”

“That big stage is the World Series,” Preller said after the Padres’ playoff exit last season. “We’re not going to be content until we get there.”