SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today announced the promotions of Erik Greupner to Chief Executive Officer and A.J. Preller to President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. The two Padres executives have each signed contract extensions through the 2026 season.

“Erik and A.J. have earned their promotions by assembling strong business and baseball operations groups within our organization while working together towards our singular goal of winning a World Series championship,” said Padres Owner Peter Seidler. “Erik is a steady hand and multi-talented leader, and he has been the driving force behind our innovative business growth in a continuously evolving sports landscape. A.J. has skillfully built both a playoff-caliber Major League club and a top tier minor league system. I look forward to working with Erik and A.J. towards an exciting future for our deserving and extraordinarily supportive fans.”

“I am honored and grateful to have the continued opportunity to work with Peter and A.J. to grow our organization, positively impact our community and deliver a World Series championship to the City of San Diego and our great fans,” said Greupner. “Over the last decade, I have been fortunate to work alongside many of the most dedicated and talented employees in professional sports. This last year has tested our resilience, resolve and ability to see opportunity where others only see insurmountable obstacles. Our organization is stepping into a bright future with a spirit of optimism, collaboration and persistence.”

“The commitment from our organization is a reflection of the work done by all of the members of our entire baseball operations team,” said Preller. “I’m proud to be a part of a talented group whose main focus is to bring a championship to San Diego. The foundation has been laid over the past five years and I’m personally very excited about what the future holds for the Padres.”

Greupner originally joined the Padres in December of 2010, making this his 11th season in San Diego. He oversees the Padres’ business operations and leads the growth and development of the Padres’ business and culture.

Prior to assuming the role of CEO, Greupner served as president of business operations from December 2018 through December 2020 and chief operating officer from November 2016 to November 2018. While serving in those posts, he led the club’s successful effort to secure the development rights for a transformational multi-use real estate project on Tailgate lot, guided the club through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the team’s business operations, including all revenue generation. Under Greupner’s leadership, the Padres set sponsorship, group ticketing, single game, opening series and non-baseball event revenue and attendance records. Additionally, Petco Park was renovated and improved while earning USA Today’s ranking as the No. 1 ballpark in Major League Baseball. During this time, the Padres also positively impacted the San Diego community through supporting racial justice efforts and frontline workers during the pandemic, including launching California’s first COVID-19 super vaccination site at Petco Park.

Greupner served in various roles for the Padres from December 2010 to November 2016, leading the lobbying efforts and negotiations that resulted in the Padres amending its lease with the City of San Diego to significantly increase the number of non-baseball events at Petco Park and create a positive economic impact on the City. He also led the negotiations of a new long-term lease and construction of the Padres’ new Spring Training facility and renovated stadium in Peoria, Ariz., and he was instrumental in securing the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego.

Prior to joining the Padres, Greupner worked as a corporate and transactional attorney with the international law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. While at Gibson Dunn, he advised senior management of public and private companies in general corporate matters, acquirers and targets in mergers and acquisitions transactions, and institutional investors and fund sponsors in the formation and operation of private investment funds. Before his time with Gibson Dunn, Greupner worked in sales management roles with Goldman Sachs & Company, Scudder Weisel Capital, LLC and Life Time Fitness.

Greupner earned his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He served as a judicial intern for the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Greupner graduated cum laude from Wheaton College, Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and communications. He currently serves as the Chairman of the advisory board of trustees of Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation and on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Preller originally joined the Padres as executive vice president/general manager on August 6, 2014. Under his leadership, the Padres ended a 14-year postseason drought in 2020 with a 37-23 (.616) regular season record, their best winning percentage in club history. After finishing the season with the second-best record in the National League, the Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Series, their first postseason series win since 1998 and the first postseason series win at Petco Park. 

Over his tenure, Preller has overseen the acquisition of a significant level of talent through various channels. He signed marquee free agents, including Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Drew Pomeranz. Across multiple years, he executed trades netting a talent haul of Fernando Tatis Jr., Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger, Wil Myers, Trent Grisham, Chris Paddack, Tommy Pham, Joe Musgrove, Josh Naylor, Austin Nola and Jake Cronenworth. Along with the professional scouting group, Preller mined the waiver wire and minor league free agency to find key bullpen pieces in Kirby Yates, Brad Hand and Craig Stammen. Under his direction, the amateur scouting department has drafted several consensus top prospects, including MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Luis Campusano, Ryan Weathers, Cal Quantrill, Cole Wilcox, Hudson Head and Robert Hassell, while the international scouting staff signed Adrian Morejon, Luis Patino, Gabriel Arias, Michel Baez, Jorge Ona, Reginald Preciado, Ismael Mena and Tucupita Marcano. 

While constructing a winning Major League roster, Preller has also strengthened and preserved the club’s farm system, earning a Top 3 ranking in each of the last three seasons (2019-21). The Padres enter the 2021 season with the most Top 100 prospects (7) according to Baseball America and made history in 2019 with a record-breaking 10 players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list (574 points).

Preller previously served as assistant general manager of the Texas Rangers, overseeing the player development and scouting departments and serving as a key advisor on all player acquisitions. Prior to joining the Rangers, Preller spent three years in the baseball operations department of the Los Angeles Dodgers, working with the professional, amateur and international scouting departments.

A native of Huntington Station, N.Y., Preller graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cornell University in 1999. He began his baseball career with an internship for the Philadelphia Phillies before taking a position with the Arizona Fall League where he worked under Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, whom he later joined at Major League Baseball for two years, aiding Robinson in several areas and working closely with the Labor Relations Department on salary arbitration issues.