Reaction to A.J. Preller Suspension
Stupid.
No, breathtakingly stupid.
A.J. Preller will not be the General Manager of the San Diego Padres for the next 30 days because he did something really, really dumb.
But that’s the rub. I’m not worried he did something dumb. I’m worried what else he’s done that is dumb. Or something worse than dumb.
By not fully disclosing Drew Pomeranz‘ full medical treatment history, the Padres General Manager, essentially, gave himself a bit more leverage to bargain with.
“Oh, that pitcher? Oy yeah, he’s fine. You want him?”
This is bad for so many reasons, but let’s run down a few.
First and foremost, you run the risk of voiding the trade. Nearly all of the baseball world praised Preller for acquiring Pomeranz on the cheap and flipping him for Anderson Espinosa, who some have compared to Felix Hernandez. Your first danger is having to send him back and letting some air out of the team’s rebuilding plans. Don’t think it can happen? It already has with the Colin Rea deal.
But that’s only the most obvious problem here.
Secondly, by keeping pertinent medical records the Padres have stained their relationship with all the other clubs in the league. Imagine for a moment you’re trying to sell a used car to the family of someone who already purchased a lemon from you. How far do you think those negotiations would progress?
By withholding information in exchange for a temporary leg-up in negotiations, Preller may have hurt the organization for years. No one will want to trade with this GM, nor should they. I wouldn’t.
Even more deeply troubling is the realization that this is not the first time Preller has gotten himself into trouble. He was also disciplined when he was with the Rangers for breaking rules.
So, I have to ask the obvious question: how do we know there aren’t more skeletons in his closet? What else is he hiding? When will the next scandal come back to sting the organization?
To the fans, this is a big problem. For an organization that swears it is on the right track, that it is doing the right thing, this is another PR fire on which it must waste the fire-retardant of goodwill built from the All-star Game.
The next time A.J. Preller speaks to the media, or in an interview, what reason do we have to believe even one word coming out of his mouth?
Some fans want Mike Dee fired, they will justified in wanting the same for the team’s GM.
I’ve never, ever call for the firing of anyone. I don’t think it’s my place to ask for people to lose their jobs. I am also not saying unemployment is the solution here, but this latest disaster certainly gives ownership reason to question the future of its GM.
Baseball is the greatest athletic endeavor we have. It is a sport of poetry, beauty and nearly imeasurable levels of skill. The Padres are my team, my only true team. They are the expression of my love for this grand game.
Gary, you are correct this is Preller’s second offence. The first was involving international signings, the same area the Red Sox were punished for by having to “unsign” 5 players earlier this year. The entire international signing period is a joke seeing as any fan can see who their team is going to sign a month or two before the draft by going onto MLB.com and clicking on the players profile. If MLB is willing to put information on their own sight saying that players are expected to sign with certain clubs, it just goes to show what a sham that whole process is.
Preller’s second offence does sound bad, but until, (if ever) we get all of the info, how can you or anyone ask for his firing. The Padres acquired Chris Paddock from the Marlins and after 14 superb innings needed Tommy John surgery. I don’t recall the Padres complaining about it. We’re the Marlins hiding something from the Padres? From what I can find on what the Padres were withholding, it seems like small potatoes (what players were taking after games for soreness and such). Plus, if MLB only suspended him for a month, they obviously think this is a lesser offence than a player that PEDs.
As far as other teams not wanting to deal with the Padres, if the Padres have a player that they think can help them win games, they will be calling Preller. And let’s be honest, if Pomeranz helps the Red Sox win a World Series, do they really have anything to whine about?
As far as I am concerned, it would be a shame for another GM to take over this club right now after Preller and Co. have done such great work rebuilding the farm system. I hope he is given the chance to continue on building a winner in San Diego.
this is AJ second offense what GB will ever trust him in the furtherilcav