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Monday, February 16, 2026

Padres extend A.J. Preller contract


The San Diego Padres have agreed on a multi-year contract extension with general manager A.J. Preller, who has the second-longest tenure among baseball operations chiefs in the big leagues, behind Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees.

The Padres, who announced the deal Monday without disclosing terms, have made the postseason four of the past six years following a stretch of 13 seasons without reaching the playoffs that started in 2007, seven years before the club hired Preller. Cashman has been general manager of the Yankees since 1998.

The 48-year-old Preller, who also has the title of president of baseball operations, has presided over the free agent signings of Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts; trades that landed the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto; and a farm system that produced center fielder Jackson Merrill, who was an All-Star as a rookie in 2024.