San Diego was bumped from the postseason by the Cubs in the Wild Card round. Despite the early exit, the club is not looking to make major leadership changes on the field or in the front office. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that both manager Mike Shildt and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller are expected to maintain their roles heading into the 2026 season. Shildt has two years remaining on his contract after signing an extension last offseason. Preller is entering the final year of his deal.
The Padres have reached the playoffs in both seasons under Shildt. They beat the Braves in the Wild Card round last year before falling to the Dodgers in the NLDS. San Diego had earned a postseason berth just twice in the 21st century heading into the shortened 2020 season. They’ve now done it in four of the past six seasons.
Shildt took over in 2024 after Bob Melvin jumped ship to manage the Giants. He’s piled up 183 wins with the team. Shildt had previously helmed the Cardinals from 2018 to 2021. He first took over in an interim capacity after Mike Matheny was fired midway through the 2018 campaign. Shildt guided St. Louis to a 41-28 record and shed the interim label before the season ended. He took the Cardinals to the playoffs in the next three seasons, but was fired after 2022. He latched on with San Diego as a player development consultant and interim third base coach in 2023.
Preller has been with the team since 2014, first signing on as general manager. He was handed a contract extension ahead of the 2021 season and given the title of president of baseball operations. That previous extension came when Preller was entering the final year of his contract, which is the situation he finds himself in once again. Acee mentioned that some of the same sources that said Shildt and Preller would be back in 2026 also expect an extension for the latter to be announced soon.
Preller made waves immediately after taking over as the lead decision maker in San Diego. In his first offseason, he completely retooled the Padres’ outfield through trades for Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and Justin Upton. Preller then secured an elite closer by dealing for Craig Kimbrel. While the transaction-heavy winter didn’t translate to positive on-field results, as the Padres scuffled to a 74-88, it set the tone for Preller’s tenure. He’s been one of the more active executives over the past decade, both in the trade market and in free agency.
San Diego had its first winning season under Preller in 2020. The Padres received a Wild Card bid after going 37-23 in the shortened season. They dispatched the Cardinals (and Shildt) in the first round, their first postseason series win since 1998. Preller was back at it that offseason, revamping the pitching staff by trading for Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove.
Preller has inked some of the biggest contracts in history, including Manny Machado’s 10-year, $300MM deal and Xander Bogaerts’ 11-year, $280MM pact. San Diego’s payroll exceeded $250MM in 2023, though the club has trimmed down expenses in recent seasons. After coming in at around $211MM this past season, FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool estimates the Padres’ payroll at roughly $194MM for 2026.
San Diego is set to lose some key contributors this offseason. Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease are free agents, which will subtract from the top of the order and the top of the rotation. Robert Suarez is expected to opt out of the remaining two years on his contract. Preller already acquired a replacement for Suarez when he landed Mason Miller at the 2025 trade deadline, but he’ll need to find fill-ins for Arraez and Cease. The potential loss of Michael King, if either side declines their end of his mutual option, will press Preller to find multiple rotation options behind Nick Pivetta, Darvish, and eventually Musgrove (recovering from Tommy John surgery).
Trade Preller for Brian Cashman please. As a Yankees fan.
Not for all the marbles in Manhattan! Hard pass. As a Padre fan.
Fine! Take Anthony Volpe too. He’s a shortstop btw.
Well you can never say that Preller is shy about making a move so I’m not even sure this was a thought at all? He’s done a lot of crazy things but for the most part put solid talent on the field when he had the owner behind him. But then the owner passed away and now the vultures rule the roost so IDK. Schildt is as solid as it gets so they should be good. Preller doesn’t function well on a leash.
Preller is awful. He trades everyone’s signs big contracts and goes nowhere.
Yet they are competitive in the same division with the Dodgers, and have made the playoffs four out of the last five years. Also your grammar could use a little work.
You should add a comma after “Also.”
You’re correct. I did see that after I posted, Thank you for pointing that out. I guess I should have been more specific about ALLCAPS comment.
Or just don’t be a jackhat about it.
I will try to be less of a jackhat in the future. Nice walk-off error tonight. Go Phillies.
Use periods more appropriately and do not abuse commas and capital letters…..
Says the Philliesfan being a jackhat.
Ok Mr punctuation police
Anyways Preller is like the anti hero of GMs I feel like every year its either very good or very bad moves but never in between
Other than Bogaerts, what bad moves?
@nonchalanto What was the fourth year of the last 5 that they made the playoffs????
I stand corrected, 4 out of 6 years. And it was right there in the article.
Padres have 13 postseason wins under Preller and 12 postseason wins from 1969-2014.
You’re not paying attention. Did you not read the article? 4 out of the last 6 years in the playoffs. They are winning more games than they’re losing. That’s a big improvement. They also sold out 70 something homes games out of 81. That’s second in MLB. That’s pretty impressive.
He’s just angry about Corbin Burnes.
The Padres attendance was the highest percentage of capacity in MLB.
The Padres are not going to age well. Too many big contracts for guys on the wrong side of 30.
Dodgers are older, averaging over 30 years old.
Phillies are older.
Cubs are older
Blue Jays are older
Mets are older
Rangers are older
The Padres will be fine, especially with contracts for younger players like Tatis and Merrill locked in long term.
Not sure if the Padres will do much better under those two.
They should make Preller hire a GM as a condition for an extension. He needs to be reeled in some.
Maybe ownership will catch on when Leo De Vries becomes a superstar and they moved him for a relief pitcher
It’s Mason Miller at the end of the day. He’s a stud.
Is he going to become a starter? Every team can find good relief pitchers without trading the #1 prospect in baseball
Miller was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after the trade. 0.77 ERA, 54.2% SO rate, 1.4 WAR in 23.1 IP over 22 appearances. He threw the fastest pitch in history in the playoffs while not giving up a hit or walk over 2.2 IP. Whether he is the Padres closer for the next 4 seasons before he reaches free agency or he is transitioned back into starting, his value is secure. He is one of the best pitchers in the game.
De Vries is going to be a really good player someday. That day is not today. You have to give to get. The Padres gave up one of the top prospects in baseball, De Vries was #3 at the time of the trade. They got one of the best proven pitchers in MLB.
Not every team can find a pre-arb closer that throws 104+ and strikes out nearly half of the batters he faces. How much is Edwin Diaz making? How much is Hader making? Miller is better and will make less over the next 3 years than either of those two will make in one year.
Remember, the Padrs also got Sears in that trade. Not a pitcher I like, but one that Preller obviously liked enough to ask for him,
Yeah you all said the same thing about strikes out too much James Wood, can’t out WAR a healthy Bogaerts Abrams, and backend starter Mackenzie Gore
Prellers developed 4 top 5 all baseball ss
Tatis Jr
Merrill
Abrams
De Vries
Safe bet he develops another one and reloads the farm like he’s done his entire career.
You were wrong about cronenworths contract to begin the season and wrong about dodgers pen heading into the post season. Quit while you’re ahead cause you’re just a constant source of embarrassment on this site. Peolr see amk and go “what uneducated bone headed take is special Olympics posting now?
This is a non story. Why wouldn’t they keep both? They’re under contract and have been winning.
Fully agree
The new owner did promise a “thorough review of our organization” in a recent letter to fans. Reading that at least gave me a little pause.
This could of been stated in a few sentences…
This could have been an email!!!
Winning some games. Not much else. Why wouldn’t MLBTR do the same type of manager/ exec status update that they have been doing for every team ?
Geez that’s an ordinary history. I didn’t realise. No wonder their fans are all so sensitive.
Like any GM, Prellar has strengths and weaknesses. Time shows he routinely has one of the best, if not the best drafts year in and year out which is why their farm system is so stacked with talent before trades. The Padres will always have a steady stream of young valuable players as a result. And he is bold, bold enough to win.
But his shortcomings are obvious. He makes terrible trades the result in losing guys like CJ Abrams and James Wood. And his long term deal for Bogaerts was ill advised.
The Soto trade was for old man Seidler. Just like old man Illitch prematurely extending Miggy. PoBOs/GMs can’t block a dying man’s wishes to want a ring.
How’d it work out for them though?
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretsky
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. — Wayne Gretzky” —Michael Scott
How was that a bad trade? The Padres are still up on that trade in terms of WAR and now you have to add in several more years of the players they got for Soto in trade.
Signing Bogaerts was only ill-advised in hindsight. At the time they got the best hitting SS in the game knowing they were moving Tatis off the position. Signing a 5+ WAR SS for $25.5 million AAV was a bargain based on past performance.
But Mo says Mike Schildt is a serious problem. He had NO CHOICE but to fire him. Cardinals fans are so unfair. So, so, unfair!!!
Shildt needs to quit being so stubborn in his ways .Throwing out the same lineup night after night when the top of the lineup was struggling to produce was frustrating.
Putting Manny and tatis at the bottom of the lineup wasn’t going to change anything, just rearranging the deck chairs
Arraez in the two hole behind tatis is what I was referring to to
I’m fine with it. Preller does everything he can to put together a competitive team. He also can restock a farm system in no time. Plus at the trade deadline everyone wants their GM to be as aggressive as Preller. Schildt is a little too cautious sometimes, but other than that I’m good with him. They need a new hitting coach. It always looks like they are lost up there like they did no scouting of the opposition. Whenever they face the guy that’s 1-8 with a 7 ERA, they make him look like Cy Young.
Smart fans want their GM to take a more measured approach at the deadline. What exactly has Preller’s aggressiveness gotten him?
“Smart fans” lmao
No you’re just too ignorant to realize your measured approach won’t beat the dodgers spending billions of dollars on their team.
What has Preller done?
4 playoff appearances last 6 years
13 post season wins compared to 12 last 30 years prior to him
Back to back 90 win seasons (entire franchise has 4 since their inception prior to Preller)
My humble opinion is the Padres are significantly better if Preller is a little more patient with some of the trading.
Trea Turner, Max Fried, Josh Naylor, James Wood, Mac Gore, CJ Abrams, Jarlin Susana, River Ryan, Andres Munoz, E Clase, Comp Pick Braves used to draft Austin Riley, De Vries, Joey Cantillo, Robert Gasser, Xavier Edwards, David Bednar, Kolek, Grisham, Thorpe, Snelling, Weathers.
Pretty amazing.
Since Seidler took over the team prior to the 2020 season Preller is up by 24.3 WAR in trades. That’s pretty good by any measure.
@websoulsurfer Wrong!
Probably would’ve won at least 1 World Series if he was patient
Explain your reasoning. Go position by position. Show us that you are smarter than Preller. Take advantage of hindsight.
I see the train of thought, but its impossible to do. Everything is so interrelated..if they hadn’t traded for Soto…Abrams would still be SS…so they wouldn’t have signed Boegarts….would they have thrown even more $ at Judge? Or Ohtani ? Or just not spent that $…also King wouldn’t have been there…would they have resigned Snell? Or is there another FA pitcher the last 2 yrs? Change 1 big move and you can talk yourself into a chain reaction creating a superteam…
websoulsurfer, considering they couldn’t hit this year, Abrams and Wood would’ve fit amazingly in their line-up. Considering they might lose King and Cease this off-season, the Soto trade(s) turned out to be a big nothing for San Diego.
@web Well they can’t have won fewer World Series than they did in the last 11 years, lol!
They could have used Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, Joey Cantillo, Andres Munoz, Brent Rooker, CJ Abrams, Mac Gore and James Wood and got basically nothing by trading them. To say nothing of guys like Trea Turner, Zach Eflin and Max Fried which were bad trades but those dudes would have moved on as free agents by now even if not traded. Jakob Marsee had more WAR than Luis Arraez in 2025. And then I would have liked to see him use JP Sears instead of one of Bergert or Kolek in the Fermin trade (I don’t agree but BTV said at the time than Sears had more trade value than Kolek and Bergert combined).
Hello darkness my old friend…
So many fans only look at the flaws they see in management–field and front office. Preller and Schildt are as competent as any in the game at what they do. (Though I do find Preller’s style a little wild). Many organizations would be glad to have either or both of them.
Not that it matters, but this is from a life long Dodger fan.
Teams would be happy to have Preller as head of amateur scouting perhaps but never as GM/PBO
Isn’t this the guy who traded 22 yo Trea Turner?
And then tried to re-sign him for $300M – lol
A new writer. Did Nick Deeds go away?
Charlie Wright is Nick Deeds’ pen name.
The biggest Padre move in the upcoming off season will be that they are finally no longer paying Eric Hosmer to sit around at home. I say extend Preller consarnit!