A.J. Preller Discusses Bob Melvin Juan Sot

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller addre sed members of the media on Wednesday (including ) to discu s his teams disappointing performance in 2023 and what to expect from the offseason ahead. He confirmed that he will remain the clubs chief baseball executive going forward, and likewise, skipper Bob Melvin will remain at the helm in 2024. Preller also touched on the Padres farm system, a Damaso Garcia Jersey potential addition to the front office, and the po sibility of an extension for superstar . Considering that the Padres vastly underperformed this past season, its no surprise Preller and Melvin were on the hot seat. San Diego reached the NLCS in 2022, yet after a busy offseason in which the team spent over $400MM in free agency, they barely finished above .500 this year, falling two games shy of a postseason berth. The president of baseball ops didnt deny how frustrating the 2023 season was, but he didnt blame his manager for everything that went wrong. This comes two days after Padres chairman Peter Seidler expre sed for the leaders running his team. Said Preller, Bob is our manager, and hes going to be our manager going forward, leaving no room for doubt that Melvins job is secure. However, the executive wouldnt broach the subject of an extension the manager is only under contract for one more year instead emphasizing that both he and Melvin are focused on improving the current roster and getting the Padres back to the postseason in 2024. Next year is going to be a different year, he explained. A different team, different players. While there wont be a different manager or a different president of baseball operations, Preller said he has thought about po sibly hiring a general manager. He has technically held both titles since he was promoted ahead of the 2021 season, but it has become quite common for teams to have a separate president of baseball ops and GM. Preller wouldnt commit to making a hire, but he said hed be open to adding a new executive that brings different experiences to the front office. On the topic of reinforcements, Preller also addre sed San Diegos farm system, expre sing confidence in the cohort of young players approaching the upper levels of the minors. He believes the team has several prospects who could make an impact sooner or later, especially as added depth. His remarks werent particularly revealing, but they were encouraging, given the sheer number of prospects the Padres have given up in recent trades, along with the draft picks theyve lost by signing top free agents. The executive wasnt quite as confident about Juan Sotos long-term future with the Padres. While he said his first move will be to discu s an extension with the three-time All-Star, he didnt deny the po sibility of trading the lefty slugger instead. Weve never been a group that says no to anything, Preller explained. I wouldnt read into that. Thats just kind of the way we operate. His comments suggest that no trade is imminent, but by not shutting down the question, he left the potentiality on the table. Brandon Eisert Jersey