Editorial- Communication breakdown: The Padres’ PR woes still linger
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
It is (once again) time to discuss the elephant in the room — the communication breakdown.
Last October, East Village Times editor Nick Lee wrote a scathing piece about A.J. Preller, president of operations for the San Diego Padres. In the article, Lee shines a necessary light on the way Preller runs this franchise and includes that communication breakdown.
This article is not meant to tear down A.J. Preller or the Padres.
Preller has done many positive things since he took the helm in 2014. He acquired fan favorites Ha Seong Kim and Fernando Tatis, Jr. He tore down the farm system in 2015 and rebuilt it into something better. The players returned in the Juan Soto trade are making positive contributions now. He has done some good here.
A look at poor PR
Unfortunately, those good things are overshadowed by the bad. The negative consists of so many things that it became national news last fall. The Athletic published an article describing a dysfunctional clubhouse. Harsh criticism such as this normally would result in leadership being dismissed. Yet, Preller is still leading the franchise.
Tatis went on the IL last month with a thigh injury. It was initially reported that he would return after the All-Star break. Earlier this week, however, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin posted on X™ that the Padres hope Tatis can return in September. But they said he would return after the All-Star break. September, to be fair, is after the All-Star break. Could this be what they meant, or was it just another communication breakdown?
This is not the first time fans have been misled by the Padres.
When Bob Melvin was the manager, it was reported that he and Preller rarely spoke. Their relationship resembled that of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and Art Howe (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) in the 2011 film Moneyball. Imagine a general manager and manager not speaking to each other. Melvin voluntarily left the Padres to take the same position with the Giants. Preller is still in San Diego. A communication breakdown between key personnel. How fitting for this team.
Not getting results
It must be said (again) that it’s puzzling how Preller still has employment in San Diego. His record with the franchise to date is 685-768 (.471). Preller is in his 10th season. The Padres have exactly two winning seasons (2020 shouldn’t count either) during his tenure. His first winning season happened in 2022. It took eight seasons.
Preller served a month suspension in 2016 for misleading other clubs about the health of players. He has been on the losing end of many trades. Acquiring players like Tatis and Luis Arraez somehow seems to overshadow the names dealt. Preller is great at finding talent. When it comes to constructing a major league roster, not so much. Many of the players he has dealt are finding success with their respective teams, while some of them have become MLB All-Stars. (Trea Turner, anyone?)
It’s not just the communication breakdown that gives this franchise a black eye. The Texas Rangers played the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Anaheim this past Wednesday. That game had a 7 p.m. start. The Padres played earlier in the day and honored the 1984 World Series team beforehand. Not present for this was Bruce Bochy. According to an EVT source, he wasn’t invited. Bochy played for that team and later led the franchise to a World Series as a manager in 1998. He should have been present. If he just couldn’t make it, that would be understandable. But he wasn’t even invited.
Furthermore, it seems the only alumni who receive attention from the franchise are Trevor Hoffman and the late Tony Gwynn. Both of which were and are employed by the team. Other players, like Nate Colbert ( the team’s first star and current home run leader) and Eric Show (franchise leader in wins as a starting pitcher), are ignored.
Crucial decisions loom
The situation is so out of hand that it received national attention last year. This year, it seems that the only thing that has changed is the manager. Speaking of which, Preller is on his fourth manager in 10 years. Andy Green oversaw the rebuild until his departure in 2019. The Jayce Tingler experiment ended almost as quickly as it began. Preller told the fan base that Melvin would return in 2024. He didn’t, and Preller seemed relieved after his departure.
The Padres’ minimal success over the past decade falls squarely on A.J. Preller. He constructs the roster. He hires the managers. Late owner Peter Seidler kept Preller on board for the sake of stability. As Nick Lee said in his article, stability does not equal success. Many GMs have been relieved of their duties for less.
The Padres enter another season, their third, with World Series expectations. They have come close only once, reaching the NLCS in 2022.
The team is currently hovering above .500 and is in the N.L. Wild Card hunt. An N.L. Championship pennant could make this all go away. If it doesn’t happen this season, the franchise should go in another direction. Otherwise, the minimal success and communication breakdown will only continue for the San Diego Padres.
Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.
Thank you for your article. Too few have dared to point out the painfully obvious ineptitude of Preller.
Yet many of us were doing just that, soon after he made his first few moves. For me, the Trea Turner was the harbinger of things to come (TT is not just an all-star, he is a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer at shortstop!, which Preller traded for essentially nothing).
Never has a GM been given so many assets and failed so miserably. This current team is not going anywhere, yet Preller is going to use up whatever assets are left, which will, at best, get the team above .500. However, this will utterly deplete the team going forward.
I know this would not be popular, but they should immediately fire Preller, and sell this trade deadline (i.e. take advantage of players like Profar; Kim; etc). Then they could solidly compete, and do a lot of winnings over the next 5 to 10 years. Preller, however, is in save-my-job mode, which will decimate this franchise for years to come.
Also, to be clear, when you wrote: “He tore down the farm system in 2015 and rebuilt it into something better.” The farm system was a top system in 2015. He did tear it down, but not in a good way. He was able to recoup a lot of value with high draft picks (because their record was horrible), and with all the extra, extra money he was given to sign international talent, etc. So, that line is very misleading, at best.