The San Diego Padres have made their decision on who to hire as their new general manager, and it is Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller.
Preller is being hired to replace former GM Josh Byrnes, who was fired earlier this season. Byrnes did not have a good tenure in San Diego, as the team went 184-215 during his time as their GM. Not only was their record disappointing, but Byrnes’ trades did not go very well for him. During his time in San Diego, Josh Byrnes traded away both Anthony Rizzo and Mat Latos, both of which have gone on to have successful seasons in Chicago and Cincinnati. What Byrnes got in return for those two did not at all make those deals worth it. Perhaps Byrnes’ biggest disappointment in the trade department was when he did not trade away Chase Headley after his breakout year, when his trade value was extremely high on the market.
It was clear that San Diego was not moving in the right direction with Josh Byrnes, and a change needed to be made. A.J Preller is definitely a step in the right direction for them. As assistant GM for the Rangers, A.J. has been involved in many big deals that made a huge impact on the Rangers franchise; including acquiring Nelson Cruz, moving C.J. Wilson, and trading Mark Teixeira. Preller has experience with a successful organization, but is still a younger front-office operator who is really just getting started in his career.
He has to be excited to take this job, and he certainly has the potential to turn the Padres around and make them a formidable opponent.
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