Latest news with #Preller
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Padres GM A.J. Preller gets urgent trade deadline message from rivals
The post MLB rumors: Padres GM A.J. Preller gets urgent trade deadline message from rivals appeared first on ClutchPoints. The San Diego Padres are in second place in the NL West as the MLB trade deadline approaches. Even with a Los Angeles Dodgers slide ongoing, San Diego is still five games back in the division. With LA struggling and some expiring contracts on their team, AJ Preller and the Padres are expected to be active at the deadline. Rival executives told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that they expect big moves from Preller. 'Some rival executives contend that San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller needs to act with urgency at the trade deadline. Their premise is not unreasonable.' Rosenthal continued, 'Here's the thing, though: Preller always acts with urgency. He would do that if he were under contract through 2036 instead of 2026. He also would do it if every Padres pitcher were eligible for free agency. Pitching turnover is not something Preller frets over. It's actually part of his plan.' The Padres should be looking to add an outfielder at the MLB trade deadline. Jurickson Profar left in free agency, and they have not gotten production out of left field all year. The Boston Red Sox have an outfield surplus, but don't seem to want to part with any of it. That could send them to the Minnesota Twins, who have a few things San Diego could use. Every team could use a bullpen arm, and the Twins have two who could be traded. Pair one of Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax with Willi Castro, and the Padres will be a solid playoff contender. Castro can play all three outfield positions and can play in the infield as well, but won't cost a ton. Jax or Duran would cost a huge prospect, which the Padres have given up in the past. What are the Padres going to do at the MLB trade deadline? Last year, they took a big swing on Tanner Scott. Could a similar deal come this year? Related: Red Sox trade proposal lands Dylan Cease from Padres Related: MLB rumors: Insider's 3-team trade idea sends Red Sox's Jarren Duran to Padres
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Rosenthal: Why Padres GM A.J. Preller's trade deadline approach will be as urgent as ever
Some rival executives contend that San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller needs to act with urgency at the trade deadline. Their premise is not unreasonable. Future Hall of Fame third baseman Manny Machado, 33, is still in his prime. Several top Padres pitchers are likely headed to free agency. And the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers look more vulnerable than expected. Advertisement Here's the thing, though: Preller always acts with urgency. He would do that if he were under contract through 2036 instead of 2026. He also would do it if every Padres pitcher were eligible for free agency. Pitching turnover is not something Preller frets over. It's actually part of his plan. As usual, Preller will be one of the prime executives to watch at the deadline, pricing every available player, including his own. He will buy. He will sell. He again will distinguish himself as one of the few lead executives who operate without fear. What exactly does he intend? Check back Aug. 1. Preller might trade potential free-agent right-hander Dylan Cease and replace him with another starter. He might move closer Robert Suarez, who can hit the open market by declining a pair of $8 million player options, and pick off some other high-leverage reliever to keep his bullpen a strength. How much payroll flexibility Preller has — the Padres, according to FanGraphs, are slightly over the second, $261 million luxury tax threshold — is not known. Preller's stated goal, in an interview with MLB Network Radio, is adding 'a bat or two.' Left field, where the Padres ranked 28th in OPS entering Thursday's play, and catcher, where they ranked 26th, are the obvious positions to upgrade. But rarely does Preller follow a straight line. The Padres, since the offseason, have fielded offers on all of their potential free agents, including right-hander Michael King and first baseman Luis Arraez. When they are open to trading a player or interested in acquiring another team's player, it never qualifies as a surprise. What is surprising about the Padres is that they entered Thursday ranked 25th in runs per game, despite Preller's long-term commitments to Machado, right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., shortstop Xander Bogaerts, center fielder Jackson Merrill and infielder Jake Cronenworth. Machado and Tatis are the only Padres with an OPS above .800. The lineup's lack of depth only adds to the pressure on the other supposed anchors. Advertisement Many in the industry expect the Padres to eventually crash under the weight of their big contracts. Bogaerts, 32, is earning $25 million per season through 2033. Machado, 33, has a backloaded deal that will pay him $35 million annually from 2027 to 2033. Tatis, 26, has a similar structure and will earn $36 million annually from 2029 to 2036. Those contracts may or may not prove albatrosses. But Preller's ability to continually regenerate his pitching staff, largely at club-friendly rates, is a big reason the Padres might reach the postseason for the fourth time in six years — and keep their competitive window open for the foreseeable future. The need for Preller to win with Cease, King and Suarez is no greater than the urgency he faced in 2023, when Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez were headed to free agency. How did Preller recover from their departures? By trading Juan Soto for pitchers King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vásquez and Jhonny Brito, then flipping Thorpe in a package for Cease. Preller doesn't exactly view pitchers as expendable, but he knows few stand the test of time the way a position player like Machado will. His long-term contracts for starters — five years, $100 million for Joe Musgrove, and six years, $108 million for Yu Darvish — were reasonable gambles (well, as reasonable as a deal extending through Darvish's age-42 season can be). Nick Pivetta's four-year, $55 million deal, which pays him only $4 million this season and gives him the ability to decline a player option after 2026, looks like a bargain. Yet, for all of Preller's best-laid plans, the Padres' rotation this season is not at all what he envisioned. Cease has been inconsistent. Musgrove is recovering from Tommy John surgery. King and Darvish also have missed huge chunks of time. Not to worry. The Padres entered Thursday ranked 12th in rotation ERA, in part because Preller keeps coming up with new arms. Advertisement Three relatively unheralded pitchers — Vásquez, Ryan Bergert (sixth round pick in 2021) and Stephen Kolek (Rule 5 pick from Seattle in 2023) — have combined for a 3.79 ERA in 204 1/3 innings. The Padres are drawing trade inquiries on Bergert and Kolek as well as Double-A prospects Henry Baez and Braden Nett, according to a source briefed on their discussions. All could contribute to next year's rotation, provided they are still with the team. Cease, a top-five Cy Young finisher in 2022 and '24, obviously has greater value, particularly in a market starved for top-of-the-rotation starters. To interested teams — which is to say, pretty much every contender — his 4.59 ERA matters only so much. His 3.48 expected ERA is more than a run per nine innings lower than his actual figure. His average fastball velocity (97.1 mph) and strikeout rate are in the top 12 percent of the league. Preller could use Cease to get the hitter he wants or to acquire prospects who would enable him to upgrade his offense in a larger deal. His farm system, ravaged by the Soto trade and other deals, includes two top prospects — shortstop Leodalis De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas — but little else beyond the lower levels. And Salas has been out since April 26 with a stress fracture in his back, effectively putting his trade value on hold. The Athletic's Keith Law and Baseball America ranked the Padres' system 26th before the start of spring training. Padres officials take such evaluations only so seriously. In 2022, the year the Padres acquired Soto and Josh Hader at the deadline, Law had them 15th before the season started, Baseball America 21st. Preller will figure out something. He always does. Let other teams sweat their models, fuss over surplus values and engage in paralysis by analysis. Urgency is Preller's default setting.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline
WASHINGTON — One hundred games into a season is typically long past time a ballclub has its identity firmly established. Yet the San Diego Padres know it's not too late to show the world exactly how good they are. And more specifically, to prove to club president A.J. Preller that their squad is worthy of the aggressive moves for which he's so renowned. 'We need to show him what we're capable of,' All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. tells USA TODAY Sports, 'to see what kind of bold move he'll make.' For now, the Padres have proven they're playoff caliber: They hold down the final wild card spot in the National League and lurk just 3 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. They began the second half by winning two of three games at Washington, the start of a 10-game humidity tour that will afford them climate-controlled indoor baseball in Miami before four games at St. Louis precede a return to San Diego's saner dew points. It was on this almost exact trip last year – also the first after the All-Star break - that the Padres won seven of nine games, going from .500 team to a club that gave the Dodgers the hardest punch of the playoffs before losing a five-game NL Division Series. And after that post-break burst, Preller juiced up the bullpen, swinging deals to land All-Star relievers Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, a just reward for a club that earned it. Now, these Padres face something of a last dance. Oh, it's never over in San Diego, not when veterans like Manny Machado ($350 million through 2033), Xander Bogaerts ($280 million, 2033) and Tatis ($340 million, 2034) are wrapped up well into the next decade, and eight other players locked into multi-year deals through at least 2027. But a mini-window of sorts is closing: Starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, the major pieces of their pivot to deal Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, are free agents after this season. The extent to which San Diego attempts to retain them this winter, or backfill the rotation via free agency, should be telling about the near-term fate of the franchise, which lost its franchise scion when owner Peter Seidler passed away in November 2023. While overflow crowds at Petco Park and the many long-term commitments ensure the Padres will stay competitive, coming years may suggest a re-tooling or at least easing the foot up on the gas. For now, though, there's still a pennant to chase, and a case to make. 'This is the stretch,' says Cease, who shrugged off a first half in which he posted a 4.88 ERA to strike out 10 in his first start after the break. 'Obviously all the games are important. But this is really, probably going to define who we're going to be at the end of the day.' With a president of baseball operations surely watching closely. 'I don't think in terms of that,' says Cease, 'but the better position we're in you know the more aggressive he's probably more willing to be. 'But he's probably going to be aggressive either way.' And Preller would be augmenting a club that, despite its 54-45 record, knows there's a little more in the tank. 'Didn't let 'em breathe' The Padres were hard to miss at the July 15 All-Star Game, what with five representatives led by Tatis and MVP candidate Manny Machado. Yet the remainder of their reps came from one unit: The bullpen. They were well-earned nods, with Robert Suárez leading the majors with 28 saves and Adam (2.05 ERA) and lefty Adrian Morejon (1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) dominant almost every time out. Yet Adam and Morejon have already pitched in 48 games, one less than the major league leaders in that category. Jeremiah Estrada has logged 47 appearances. And the Padres have played 55 games decided by two runs or less, second-most in the majors. Fortunately, they're 34-21 in such games, yet the bullpen has burned a lot of high-leverage fuel to prop them up, and the sustainability questions will swirl if there are any late-inning hiccups. To put it bluntly: The Padres need to start kicking some teams' butts. 'Didn't let 'em breathe,' an approving manager Mike Shildt said after the Padres jumped the Nationals in an 8-1 victory to claim the series Sunday. 'If we continue to do that – we add on – watch out. 'This team will be even more dangerous than it already is.' That victory was jump-started by Machado and Tatis drawing first-inning walks and Bogaerts jumping All-Star MacKenzie Gore for a first-inning grand slam; it was 5-0 after one inning and 8-0 after three. And it continued Bogaerts' tear; he's raised his batting average 40 points since June 19, his .382 average second in the majors in that stretch. Bogaerts, who turns 33 Oct. 1, has had an uneven first two years in San Diego, his OPS falling 102 points to .688 last season. Yet he's back at his familiar shortstop post and exemplifying this Padre group's ethos: Make good swing decisions, get the ball in play, catch the ball and run the bases aggressively and smartly. Bogaerts' 16.2% strikeout rate is his best since 2015, when he was 22 and in his first full season with Boston. The Padres' 695 strikeouts are fewest in the NL – 68 less than the nearest playoff contender, the Cubs. 'Just trying to swing at strikes,' says Bogaerts, who has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts. 'Keep working and keeping the same routine.' Shildt is a bit more effusive. 'Just looks under control. Balanced. Everything looks smooth. He's got a lot of (stolen bases), right there with Tati. And he's playing as good a shortstop as anybody in baseball. 'We're getting an All-Star version of Bogey.' A division shot, a shot in the arm As they pass the 100-game mark in Miami, the Padres can feel good in who they are, and what is at stake. 'I know we have a good team," says Bogaerts. "We have to play some really good baseball. We have a tough stretch coming up and a big second half, so hopefully we can get there.' Indeed, 29 of their next 35 games are against teams with winning records; the Padres are just 20-32 against teams better than .500 this season. Things aren't optimal, but you can see help from here. King, currently on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes for an August return. In his stead, Nick Pivetta – signed when the veteran righty hit a free agent road bump due to the qualifying offer – is pitching better than he has in his nine-year career. Jackson Merrill, who probably should have won NL Rookie of the Year honors last year, has been slowed by a pair of IL stints yet still has a runway to salvage the rest of his sophomore season. And for better or worse, they'll be done with the Dodgers by Aug. 24 after playing them six times in a 10-game stretch. Of their final 27 games, 10 are against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, the two worst teams in baseball. 'We have a chance to win the division out here,' says Tatis. 'We got a lot of baseball ahead of us. It's a matter of taking care of business and staying consistent.' And then there is the deadline. The Padres' needs are not unlike almost every other contender: A starting pitcher. Another outfield or DH bat, preferably right-handed. And perhaps another reliever, though the Padres are dealing from a position of strength rather than the relief misery many other clubs find themselves in. 'There is great talent in this room,' says catcher Martin Maldonado, the 38-year-old veteran of six Houston Astros playoff runs. 'The pitching staff is amazing.' In fact, the Padres believe, whatever additions arrive can only build upon something solid. Perhaps they will push them to a division title, a round deeper in the playoffs. Point is, the Padres have put themselves in position to reap those rewards. 'Almost every facet of the game we've been good,' says Shildt, citing the consistency of the team's at-bats as the last piece to slide into place. 'I do feel like we're in a good spot and trending to a great spot.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres' MLB trade deadline rumors depend on hot second-half start
USA Today
21-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline
WASHINGTON — One hundred games into a season is typically long past time a ballclub has its identity firmly established. Yet the San Diego Padres know it's not too late to show the world exactly how good they are. And more specifically, to prove to club president A.J. Preller that their squad is worthy of the aggressive moves for which he's so renowned. 'We need to show him what we're capable of,' All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. tells USA TODAY Sports, 'to see what kind of bold move he'll make.' For now, the Padres have proven they're playoff caliber: They hold down the final wild card spot in the National League and lurk just 3 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. They began the second half by winning two of three games at Washington, the start of a 10-game humidity tour that will afford them climate-controlled indoor baseball in Miami before four games at St. Louis precede a return to San Diego's saner dew points. It was on this almost exact trip last year – also the first after the All-Star break - that the Padres won seven of nine games, going from .500 team to a club that gave the Dodgers the hardest punch of the playoffs before losing a five-game NL Division Series. And after that post-break burst, Preller juiced up the bullpen, swinging deals to land All-Star relievers Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, a just reward for a club that earned it. Now, these Padres face something of a last dance. Oh, it's never over in San Diego, not when veterans like Manny Machado ($350 million through 2033), Xander Bogaerts ($280 million, 2033) and Tatis ($340 million, 2034) are wrapped up well into the next decade, and eight other players locked into multi-year deals through at least 2027. But a mini-window of sorts is closing: Starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, the major pieces of their pivot to deal Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, are free agents after this season. The extent to which San Diego attempts to retain them this winter, or backfill the rotation via free agency, should be telling about the near-term fate of the franchise, which lost its franchise scion when owner Peter Seidler passed away in November 2023. While overflow crowds at Petco Park and the many long-term commitments ensure the Padres will stay competitive, coming years may suggest a re-tooling or at least easing the foot up on the gas. For now, though, there's still a pennant to chase, and a case to make. 'This is the stretch,' says Cease, who shrugged off a first half in which he posted a 4.88 ERA to strike out 10 in his first start after the break. 'Obviously all the games are important. But this is really, probably going to define who we're going to be at the end of the day.' With a president of baseball operations surely watching closely. 'I don't think in terms of that,' says Cease, 'but the better position we're in you know the more aggressive he's probably more willing to be. 'But he's probably going to be aggressive either way.' And Preller would be augmenting a club that, despite its 54-45 record, knows there's a little more in the tank. 'Didn't let 'em breathe' The Padres were hard to miss at the July 15 All-Star Game, what with five representatives led by Tatis and MVP candidate Manny Machado. Yet the remainder of their reps came from one unit: The bullpen. They were well-earned nods, with Robert Suárez leading the majors with 28 saves and Adam (2.05 ERA) and lefty Adrian Morejon (1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) dominant almost every time out. Yet Adam and Morejon have already pitched in 48 games, one less than the major league leaders in that category. Jeremiah Estrada has logged 47 appearances. And the Padres have played 55 games decided by two runs or less, second-most in the majors. Fortunately, they're 34-21 in such games, yet the bullpen has burned a lot of high-leverage fuel to prop them up, and the sustainability questions will swirl if there are any late-inning hiccups. To put it bluntly: The Padres need to start kicking some teams' butts. 'Didn't let 'em breathe,' an approving manager Mike Shildt said after the Padres jumped the Nationals in an 8-1 victory to claim the series Sunday. 'If we continue to do that – we add on – watch out. 'This team will be even more dangerous than it already is.' That victory was jump-started by Machado and Tatis drawing first-inning walks and Bogaerts jumping All-Star MacKenzie Gore for a first-inning grand slam; it was 5-0 after one inning and 8-0 after three. And it continued Bogaerts' tear; he's raised his batting average 40 points since June 19, his .382 average second in the majors in that stretch. Bogaerts, who turns 33 Oct. 1, has had an uneven first two years in San Diego, his OPS falling 102 points to .688 last season. Yet he's back at his familiar shortstop post and exemplifying this Padre group's ethos: Make good swing decisions, get the ball in play, catch the ball and run the bases aggressively and smartly. Bogaerts' 16.2% strikeout rate is his best since 2015, when he was 22 and in his first full season with Boston. The Padres' 695 strikeouts are fewest in the NL – 68 less than the nearest playoff contender, the Cubs. 'Just trying to swing at strikes,' says Bogaerts, who has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts. 'Keep working and keeping the same routine.' Shildt is a bit more effusive. 'Just looks under control. Balanced. Everything looks smooth. He's got a lot of (stolen bases), right there with Tati. And he's playing as good a shortstop as anybody in baseball. 'We're getting an All-Star version of Bogey.' A division shot, a shot in the arm As they pass the 100-game mark in Miami, the Padres can feel good in who they are, and what is at stake. 'I know we have a good team," says Bogaerts. "We have to play some really good baseball. We have a tough stretch coming up and a big second half, so hopefully we can get there.' Indeed, 29 of their next 35 games are against teams with winning records; the Padres are just 20-32 against teams better than .500 this season. Things aren't optimal, but you can see help from here. King, currently on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes for an August return. In his stead, Nick Pivetta – signed when the veteran righty hit a free agent road bump due to the qualifying offer – is pitching better than he has in his nine-year career. Jackson Merrill, who probably should have won NL Rookie of the Year honors last year, has been slowed by a pair of IL stints yet still has a runway to salvage the rest of his sophomore season. And for better or worse, they'll be done with the Dodgers by Aug. 24 after playing them six times in a 10-game stretch. Of their final 27 games, 10 are against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, the two worst teams in baseball. 'We have a chance to win the division out here,' says Tatis. 'We got a lot of baseball ahead of us. It's a matter of taking care of business and staying consistent.' And then there is the deadline. The Padres' needs are not unlike almost every other contender: A starting pitcher. Another outfield or DH bat, preferably right-handed. And perhaps another reliever, though the Padres are dealing from a position of strength rather than the relief misery many other clubs find themselves in. 'There is great talent in this room,' says catcher Martin Maldonado, the 38-year-old veteran of six Houston Astros playoff runs. 'The pitching staff is amazing.' In fact, the Padres believe, whatever additions arrive can only build upon something solid. Perhaps they will push them to a division title, a round deeper in the playoffs. Point is, the Padres have put themselves in position to reap those rewards. 'Almost every facet of the game we've been good,' says Shildt, citing the consistency of the team's at-bats as the last piece to slide into place. 'I do feel like we're in a good spot and trending to a great spot.'
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Padres' 18-Year-Old Prospect Is Turning Heads at a National Level
San Diego Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller has built his team into a World Series contender in recent years. And although the Padres' farm system ranked 25th in the MLB in March, that's mostly because Preller has flipped a lot of his prospects for win-now veterans. Advertisement Yes, the ability to identify young talent will always be paramount in a sport like baseball. Preller and his staff have shown that they can do that, and their current No. 1 prospect is living up to the hype so far in 2025. San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller (right) and manager Mike Shildt (left) chat before Opening Day at Petco Poroy-Imagn Images During a leaguewide article on April 30, MLB Pipeline writers Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo highlighted the "hottest hitting prospect" from each MLB organization. Their Padres choice was easy, as they selected San Diego's top-rated minor leaguer, shortstop Leo De Vries. "The 18-year-old was the youngest player on a High-A Opening Day roster in 2025, but he sure isn't playing like it," the MLB Pipeline team wrote. Advertisement Continuing: "A five-hit, two-homer cycle on April 22 was his biggest highlight of the season so far for Fort Wayne, but he hasn't stopped there, going 3-for-3 with a homer and a double Tuesday [April 29]. De Vries leads the Midwest League with a .609 slugging percentage over 18 games and ranks second with a .968 OPS, despite being more than four years younger than the average hitter on the circuit." De Vries' national recognition didn't end there, as the MLB's official X account shouted him out for a ridiculous defensive play on May 2. As noted above, De Vries is the No. 1-ranked prospect within the Padres' farm system, but he's also ranked No. 16 for the entire MLB. Advertisement Per his bio, De Vries is a switch-hitter who flaunts an "exquisite knowledge of the [strike] zone." His high expectations aren't anything new, as the native of the Dominican Republic was 2024's "No. 1-ranked talent" on the international market. Related: Long-Time Red Sox Starter Turning Heads With New Team: 'Breakout Ace' Related: Padres Send Direct Message on Struggling $191 Million Veteran
