PEORIA, Ariz. — The extended the contract of A.J. Preller, their longtime head of baseball operations, on Monday, providing stability for a franchise that could change ownership in the near future.
The length of Preller’s new deal was not announced, but the finalization of one put to rest questions about whether he would be extended with the team’s control in limbo.
Padres chairman John Seidler, one of late owner Peter Seidler’s brothers, said he has received “tremendous interest” in the team from other buyers and once again stressed that the franchise would not move from San Diego, adding that a new group would be “nuts” to relocate. As a result of Peter Seidler’s financial commitments, Preller’s roster maneuvering and CEO Erik Greupner’s business acumen, the Padres have emerged as one of baseball’s most popular franchises in recent years, ranking second in attendance in 2025 and within the top five after each of the last four seasons.
Asked what he would look for in a prospective new owner, John Seidler said: “We would like to see what everybody would like to see. We would like to see somebody with ties to San Diego, a deep love of San Diego and who grew up with baseball, so that they can continue doing the work that we do in the community and providing a product on the field that the fans enjoy.”
The Padres announced they would explore a potential sale of the team in November, two years after Peter Seidler’s sudden death. That result has since become increasingly inevitable. On Feb. 2, Peter Seidler’s widow, Sheel, dropped most of the claims from an initial lawsuit in which she claimed, among other things, to be the franchise’s rightful control person. The Athletic reported shortly thereafter that initial bids for the Padres are expected by the end of the month.
Joe Lacob, principal owner of the NBA’s , has been rumored as a leading candidate to acquire the team, though John Seidler said “there’s more parties interested than have been reported.”
“A.J. likes to say every offseason is different; it plays out on its own timing,” John Seidler said. “Sales process also plays out on its own timing. Over the next few months, the process will come to a logical conclusion.”
Arguably the sport’s most aggressive front office executive, Preller, 48, is heading into his 12th full season atop the Padres’ baseball operations department, during which he has navigated multiple rebuilds, gone through a handful of managers and acquired a litany of stars, a list that includes , ., , , , and , among many others.
While in search of the first championship in San Diego history in recent years, Preller has been especially aggressive using a constantly replenishing farm system to acquire top-tier talent, helping the Padres reach the playoffs in four of the last six years. But the team’s payroll flexibility has dried up since Peter Seidler’s death, forcing Preller to get creative. Over the weekend, Preller agreed to low-cost deals with outfielder and starting pitchers and in hopes of addressing a needy lineup and rotation. And with his contract heading into its final year, the delay of his extension seemingly became a point of contention around Padres camp.
Speaking from the annual spring training media availability of major league executives and managers on Wednesday, Preller said, “Ultimately, I think we’re either going to do it or not.” On Sunday, Machado used the Castellanos signing as an opportunity to push for Preller to be extended, saying: “I mean, you talk about getting a $20 million player for pennies on the dollar, I think that kind of deserves an extension for A.J.”
John Seidler said he and Preller, who shared an especially close relationship with Peter, began talks around an extension 12 months ago and blamed the delay on the two of them not having enough opportunities for face-to-face communication since the Padres were eliminated in the wild-card round last fall. Sunday, he said, qualified as their fourth personal interaction since. It resulted in a new contract.
“What was important about getting the deal done is A.J. has been the architect of the team,” John Seidler said. “Without A.J.’s roster-building over the duration, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
