[ad_1]
Padres president of baseball operations and general manager AJ Preller received a strong vote of confidence from the owners, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic (subscription required). San Diego President Peter Seidler told Lin that Preller’s job is “as secure as a CEO’s job can be.” Seidler added: “I believe one hundred percent in [Preller], one hundred percent trust him. And it’s not because I’m blindly loyal.
That Preller is likely to continue leading the team for the long haul is hardly a surprise. Just eight months ago, the club extended Preller’s contract until the 2026 season and added the PBO designation to his title.
The Padres, of course, are on the hunt for a new manager after dismissing second-year manager Jayce Tingler yesterday. Last year, Tingler led San Diego to its first playoff appearance since 2006 and its first playoff win since 1998. But the club’s second-half collapse in 2021, as well as reports of of tensions in the clubhouse, led to his dismissal. Tingler has been offered the option of staying with the team for an as yet undetermined title, and Seidler has said he hopes Tingler decides to stay. He added that the rest of the coaching staff have been allowed to look for opportunities elsewhere.
Seidler also told Lin that Preller alone will decide who will be the club’s next manager. He said that while he and Preller recognize the value of major league management experience, it won’t be a prerequisite for the new hire. “Like we did when we hired Jayce, our focus was on experienced people,” Seidler said. “But I’d rather be the good 34 than the bad 64.”
Seidler’s comment about a new manager who doesn’t need previous big league management experience is sure to raise eyebrows at least for some Padres fans. Since hiring as CEO in 2014, Preller has appointed two permanent directors, Tingler and his predecessor Andy Green. Neither had run an MLB club before joining the Padres. There has been a lot of speculation that the Padres could focus on a more veteran skipper this time around, but it doesn’t look like the property or Preller sees it as an absolute necessity.
[ad_2]
Source link