GM A.J. Preller was back working the media again for the San Diego Padres, first at Padres camp, then at the league’s annual Cactus League Media Day, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
The prime topic of the day was his possible extension, and Preller did his usual word-salad dance without answering the question, saying the Padres might soon come to an agreement without offering many specifics, according to Cassavell.
“When the time’s right, the moment’s right, we’re hoping to line up on something and have something here that can be focusing me back on the field,” Preller said. “We’ll see where it goes.”
By now Preller knows this routine by heart—forwards, backwards and inside out. He’s been doing it since the end of the season, so he’s had plenty of time to practice his schtick.
“I love being here, love San Diego,” Preller said, invoking the “chamber of commerce” part of his usual speech. “I feel good about the work we’ve done as a group. And, again, we still have some unfinished business. So that’s really the motivation -- for the city of San Diego to go out and win and to be a part of it.”
Some fans and media have Opening Day marked down as a pivot point for Preller’s extension, but the GM wouldn’t go there on that possibility, either.
“Either way, I’m under contract, so it’s all about putting a team on the field that is going to win,” Preller said. “Still a lot of work to do in terms of continuing to round out the roster.”
So much for that possibility. Preller has been dancing around baseball moves, too, but there has been some movement on the sale side. With the Seidler family lawsuit settled, the process of selling the Padres will likely begin in earnest, and Preller kept all the usual balls in the air and in play when it comes to onfield possibilities.
“Still looking to add to the starting rotation,” Preller said. “We’ve mentioned we’ve got some good competition. It’s always about looking to fill out innings.
“Clearly [we’re looking for] some rotation help, and then we’re looking to add at least another bat that will go into the mix.”
One possibility Preller downplayed was adding a catcher. That was something the GM said the Padres explored earlier in the offseason, but right now he feels good about the catching combination of Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano.
For us, it’s as good a catching candidate and tandem as you can have,” Preller said. “We want those guys. Between the two of them, they have good skill sets. Their skills should complement each other.”
Overall, it’s clear that Preller’s skill at making comments but saying nothing hasn’t deteriorated over the winter. That means we’ll have to wait until the games start to see what kinds of moves, if any, Preller is going to make.