Padres sign GM Preller to 3-year extension

The San Diego Padres signed general manager A.J. Preller to a three-year contract extension through the 2022 season, the team announced Sunday.

“A.J. is a tireless worker who possesses one of the brightest minds in the game. We have no doubt that he is the right man to lead our baseball operations group into the future,” executive chairman Ron Fowler and managing partner Peter Seidler said in a joint statement.

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Preller was instrumental in trades which yielded players such as first baseman Wil Myers, center fielder Manuel Margot and second baseman Carlos Asuaje, as well as adding top prospects to the farm system. He also spearheaded a flurry of international signings over the last two years.

Preller began his baseball career with an internship for the Philadelphia Phillies before working in MLB’s labor relations department. Preller then spent three years in the baseball operations department of the Los Angeles Dodgers before holding a variety of positions with the Texas Rangers for over a decade, including his role as assistant general manager.

“I’d like to thank Ron and Peter for their continued support of baseball operations,” Preller said. “I’m extremely optimistic about the direction of our club and I’m excited to continue building toward a perennial contender in San Diego.”

General manager A.J. Preller has revamped the Padres’ farm system over the past two years, turning it into one of the best in baseball. It’s a change the club hopes will lead to a sustained run of success in the not-too-distant future.

“We’ve been realistic in the last couple years,” Preller said. “In order to build a franchise, it doesn’t happen overnight. You need a period of time to go through Drafts and international [signings] and trades and give your group a chance to have some stability. That’s what we’ve been in the process of building, and now we’re taking some steps toward winning baseball at the big league level.”

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