A.J. Preller Latino-Player Passion Helped Land Manny Machado
A.J. Preller, the strangely eccentric general manager of the San Diego Padres, grew up a rich white kid from Suffolk County Long Island and became an Ivy League graduate. Oddly, he also has unique instincts for recruiting and signing Latino players, from raw teens to the best players in the game.
Last year, A.J. Preller shocked his colleagues by signing Cuban-American Eric Hosmer to an eight year, $144 million deal with the lowly Padres. A.J. convinced Hosmer, a World Series hero for the Kansas City Royals, that his organization was loaded on the farm with a bright future. Trying to do too much, Eric scuffled during the worst campaign of his career. Sensing his first baseman’s frustration, Preller promised to accelerate the process by adding more protection in the lineup. Nobody expected what was about to happen next.
A.J. Preller would get involved in what seemed to be small-talk negotiations with free-agent superstar Manny Machado. Baseball’s elite chuckled. Then a week or so later, A.J. jetted off to Miami for a second series of meetings with Machado, and things started to heat up. The “small potatoes” Padres would give Bad Boy Manny an offer he couldn’t refuse: A 10 year contract worth $300 million. It would make Machado the highest paid athlete in sports franchise history. The Preller mystique had struck again for the second consecutive season.
“If you want to win championships, you need to have impact players,” noted Preller.
Now the Padres have Machado at third base to cover the corners with the Gold Glove Hosmer. Up the middle, fans are buzzing about Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias, numbers two and 23, respectively, among all MLB prospects. So, you have a pair of Dominicans on the left side, plus a Mexican and a Cuban on the right, quite possibly an All-Star infield for many years to come.
Last season, A.J. Preller acquired power-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia in a trade with the Cleveland Indians, and center fielder Manuel Margot came to San Diego via Boston in the Craig Kimbrel swap. Both youngsters have helped turn the Padres into baseball’s top-ranked system, but the majority of talent is home-grown Latino kids, inked under the direction of A.J., who speaks self-taught fluent Spanish. Among that varsity group include Tatis Jr., Urias, Franmil Reyes and Franchy Cordero, the latter pair are outfielders and will see lots of playing time.
While full details of the Machado pact are still coming in, an opt-out clause after five years is said to be a key factor in the language. That protects the small-market Padres in case of injury or a rocky marriage, and also allows Manny to walk if the club’s progress doesn’t come to fruition. For San Diego to move up the ladder, a lack of pitching will need to be addressed. Another issue is Machado’s trademark lack of hustle and questionable behavior on a team so young and impressionable. A.J. Preller shrugs off that topic with a lack of concern.
“We’ve already talked about it,” he says with a grin.
What else would you expect him to say? When it comes to Hispanic players, the culture, emotions and colorful antics, A.J. Preller is a gringo totally comfortable in his adopted world.
