The San Diego Padres have been struggling to find relevance in the National League West Division. Trying to keep up with the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers has been tough without the right personnel. This off-season, the Padres have found the man to bring them back into contention in new general manager A.J. Preller. Preller overhauled the roster with the kind of wild moves that a fantasy owner would make. If the now star-studded lineup should perform as expected, the hire of Preller and his moves will be met with high praise.
Before his hire with the Padres, Preller was the assistant GM for the Texas Rangers. The San Diego Union-Tribune explains how the meteoric rise of the young decision-maker happened:
"Absolute consumption, of course, remains Preller's way, fueling his ascension from Latin American scouting trails to the seat of a general manager in a sleepy baseball market that didn't quite know what hit them this winter."
That sleepy baseball town woke up really fast this off-season.
Preller made big moves that came quickly and often transformed the team into an exciting experiment. As SB Nation Federal Baseball puts it, the trades were at a great cost to the farm system with the win now attitude of the moves:
"When all was said and done, Preller had replaced five of his starting position players (Upton, Myers, Kemp, Norris, Middlebrooks), plugged two holes in the starting rotation (Morrow, Shields), and acquired a top notch closer. The cost in prospects and former personnel was pretty high, as most of these players were acquired via trade. Still, he brought in some star power and made a significant effort to improve the big league product."
Are the moves made by new GM Preller going to turn the Padres into a playoff contending team? Do you think the cost of prospects are going to hurt the future of the club and Preller? Tell us your thoughts below.
