It’s not very often that you get to see a lame-duck GM introduce his team’s new manager, but that’s what the San Diego Padres did yesterday. This isn't what many in the organization were expecting, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, but the Padres follow their own path with these kinds of things.
One of the oddest issues with this particular path is that new manager Craig Stammen now has two more years on his contract than Preller. Stammen signed a three-year deal that takes him through 2028, and Preller did admit that this issue came up during contract talks with former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and others.
“Craig asked those questions,” Preller said. “Honestly, (the managerial) candidates, all of them asked those questions in terms of, obviously, you’re signing up for the job, that relationship between general manager and manager and just talking about what that looks like. … Craig specifically, I think he’s signing up because he has a lot of trust, belief in the organization. I think it was important for him in his decision, as well.
“Like I said before, I’m looking forward to being here for a long time, and I’ll continue having those conversations and see where it goes.”
Another background issue in Preller’s extension talks is that CEO Erik Greupner has also been extended to a multiyear deal, according to an earlier report in The Athletic. Team and industry sources expect an agreement to be reached in the coming weeks, but this definitely isn’t the way things are usually done.
It’s fair to speculate about the cause for the delay, and the first thing that comes to mind beyond the obvious number-of-years issue is payroll allocation.
Preller has gained a reputation for making big deals and signing expensive stars like third-baseman Manny Machado, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., but the passing of owner Peter Seidler has had many in the industry wondering about a payroll trim given the luxury tax penalties that are being incurred.
Meanwhile, the coaching staff has experienced some churn due to the uncertainty. Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez left the Padres to take the same position with the Houston Astros, and third-base coach Tim Leiper is now with the New York Mets. It’s hard to blame them for moving on, with Preller saying that the Padres will look to round out Stammen’s staff in the “next week or so.”