PEORIA, Ariz. — In what has become a saga hovering over an organization, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said Thursday he was still hoping to reach an agreement on a contract extension that would take him beyond the 2026 season and a widely expected change in ownership.
“When the time’s right, the moment’s right, hoping to line up on something, hoping to have something here that, you know, the focus can be back on the field,” Preller said. “But we’ll see where it goes in the next couple days.”
Preller, now in the final year of a contract awarded to him by the late Padres owner Peter Seidler, seldom speaks in precise terms about timing. When San Diego’s 2025 season ended in October, people throughout the organization anticipated a relatively quick resolution to Preller’s tenuous contract status.
In the months since, the Padres have begun exploring a potential sale, the Seidler family has resolved a fight over control of the franchise, and Preller and team chairman John Seidler have yet to find common ground on the terms of a possible long-term deal.
The fact that Preller could begin reporting to a new owner later this year might pose another obstacle, though the executive downplayed such uncertainty.
“That’s probably something for myself that’s kind of just a different element that’s been added to the whole conversation,” said Preller, who was hired as general manager by Peter Seidler and then-chairman Ron Fowler in 2014. “I don’t think that’s really going to impact anything. I think, from the beginning, in terms of getting a deal done, it’s been pretty consistent, the conversation.
“Ultimately, I think we’re either going to do it or not. I don’t think it’s going to be, ‘Hey, we may have a new owner here at some point in time in the next few weeks, months, et cetera, so that’s what’s holding this up.’ I don’t feel that at all, honestly.”
Preller’s comments came less than two weeks after he said he expected an extension “to get done.” The Padres’ sale process subsequently appeared to gain momentum, with initial bids due near the end of February. Asked on Thursday whether he still anticipated an eventual agreement, Preller used somewhat milder language.
“I don’t think anything’s changed from that standpoint,” Preller said. “The conversations I have with John, I think the same sentiments we’ve had really throughout the whole offseason — I think that hasn’t changed at all.
“Despite not having a deal, I feel like, you know, wanting to be here, I think the intent from the organization for me to be here — I feel like that’s all the same, and I think hopefully we can line up on something.”
The executive also said he was “not setting any kind of deadline. … Always open just to having a conversation and trying to see if we can work something out. But I think ultimately, my focus (is) on the team and the field.”
Toward that end, the Padres remain in pursuit of another bat and badly needed starting-pitching depth. While multiple veteran arms continue to linger on the free-agent market, industry sources have indicated that Preller, working with a limited budget, may now be more inclined to consider the trade route before Opening Day.
San Diego’s farm system has been depleted by years of trades, but the organization still has some intriguing lower-level prospects and a potential surplus in its big-league bullpen.
The team arguably sat in a similar position a year ago, months before the Padres advanced to the postseason for the fourth time in six years. That represents the most successful stretch in franchise history, even as San Diego has yet to advance to the World Series under Preller.
“There’s still a lot of work to do in terms of continuing to round out the roster, so that continues to be the focus,” Preller said. “Like I’ve said before, I love being here, love San Diego. 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 be a part of it.”