AJ Preller and Mike Shildt: Will It Work?

After letting manager Bob Melvin depart for the San Francisco Giants and struggling to find an outside replacement, San Diego decided to promote Mike Shildt to be their new skipper. Given how strong-willed both Shildt and Preller are, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of relationship they both have with each other. Preller and Shildt both want to do things their way. The big question is how he and GM AJ Preller will coexist.

Aj Preller Wants His Manager to Be a “Yes Man”

AJ Preller just wants his manager to listen to him and do what he’s told. His last manager Bob Melvin wasn’t that guy. It got so bad that the pair reportedly had a toxic relationship. Given that Melvin wanted to manage his way, Preller was just fine letting him depart for the division rival San Francisco Giants. Despite the talent the Padres have on paper, they were unable to hire someone externally to be their next manager. This is perhaps due to nobody wanting to deal with AJ Preller and his meddling with on-field decisions.

Mike Shildt Is Not a “Yes Man”

If Preller was looking for someone to just do what they were told, then he should know Mike Shildt is not that type of guy. Shildt departed his last managerial job with the Cardinals due to a falling out with GM John Mozeliak. This was despite leading the Cardinals to three consecutive appearances in the postseason including one division title. St. Louis had previously missed the postseason three years in a row before Shildt was named the permanent manager. Shildt was unafraid to disagree with the front office then and I don’t think that’s changed now.

Distractions Are Only Going to Hurt This Team

AJ Preller and Mike Shildt need to understand the kind of relationship they need to have to be successful. They both should already know what they are getting from one another. Any noise created between the two is just going to create distractions and prevent San Diego from a deep postseason run. This was the cast last season when San Diego failed to follow up on their NLCS appearance from the year before.

This Is either Going to Work or It Won’t

Preller and Shildt should have all the motivation in the world to make this work. Shildt departed St. Louis under acrimonious circumstances and Preller’s last manager left under equally bad terms. Turmoil between Preller and Bob Melvin was a big reason the Padres underperformed in 2023. The courtship of Mike Shildt and AJ Preller is either going to work or end in ugly fashion.

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