A month ago San Diego Padres A.J. Preller was suspended for 30 days by Major League Baseball for withholding medical information from the Boston Red Sox in connection with the Drew Pomeranz trade. As of yesterday Preller is back in the captain’s chair, reports the Union-Tribune.
Where the ship is going is unclear, however, as Preller’s antics will no doubt impact other general managers’ trust in him when it comes time to talk about deals. How much of an impact is unclear. As the Union-Tribune notes, the first test of that will likely come next month at the GM meetings.
Additional uncertainty surrounds the Padres chain of command, as the club fired team president Mike Dee while Preller was suspended. Preller used to answer to Dee, now he answers directly to team ownership. Will that change the way he does his job? Will he have different marching orders and expectations than before?
The Padres under Preller have done a good job in the past year of improving the farm system. Indeed, it’s now one of the best in the game. They’re heading into a weird offseason, however.