Padres GM A.J. Preller discusses all things Padres going into season-opening game
By Bill Center
In what has become an Opening Day tradition, Padres General Manager A.J. Preller met with the media Thursday morning via ZOOM at Petco Park.
Preller’s comments on a variety of subjects:
— On Opening Day: “All Opening Days are at the top … so much fun. Baseball is back. This year is definitely special with fans coming back into the ballpark.”
— On the Padres’ strength: “We’ve tried to put together a well-balanced team. We know there are going to be challenging from an injury standpoint. We feel we have quality and some depth to withstand the different things that are going to come up. We have a lot of faith one through 26 on a deep roster and one through 40 throughout the organization. We feel we have a team that can beat you just as easily at the bottom of the order as in the middle of the order and the top part of the order. We have a lot of guys who can potentially step up, not just one player. That’s what good teams usually have.”
— On the goal: “The goal for us to win the World Series. First and foremost, get back to October. Then build on last year and take it a few steps forward.”
— On Padres fans: “There’s an excitement level from having a lot of players they like watching play. They want to come to the ballpark to see our players. They feel the chemistry the team has … that was a special part of last year. We have guys who enjoy playing with each other and the fans like that. People want to see this team play again. It’s been a cool dynamic over the past couple of months.”
— On the Dodgers and overall competition: “The Dodgers are a phenomenal team. It’s not the individual matchup with one team. It’s really looking at our overall club and understanding that to win a World Series we will have to go through a lot of good teams to do it with a complete, well-rounded club with a lot of depth. The Dodgers are the team at the top of the mountain right now as the World Champions. There are a lot of other good teams in the National League.”
— On the difference between the trades of 2015 and the past year: “There was excitement and something totally new and different in 2015. Some of the fans in San Diego’s recent history had not seen ownership that was willing to spend money and invest in the club. They were used to some stars leaving San Diego and not necessarily being brought into San Diego. This year, it is more a continuation of the last two or three years … a foundation being built. We were one of the younger teams in the league. The moves this year have more legitimacy … we have a chance to play into October.”
— On acquiring Yu Darvish and Blake Snell: “It speaks to the work from the organization the last five years. We’ve talked about the 2020 season and the next five years as something that if we do it the right way we have a chance to put together a really competitive and fun product at the Major League level. The ownership group and Peter (Seidler) have a lot of confidence, trust and faith. We lay (possibilities) down logically. Peter and Ron (Fowler) would have opinions and gut reactions and ask questions. We work together to go through that. Ultimately we’re on the same page pretty quickly.”
— On COVID protocols: “We’ve all learned to accept the challenges are day-to-day and follow the protocols. You can turn the odds in your favor. We did a good job of that last year. Getting tests, masking up is the new norm for right now. We are in the process of vaccinations. We’ve had a number of players and staff take advantage of that the last few days.”
— On injuries and the alternate camp in Peoria, Ariz.: “We have games starting Saturday and three or four a week. Players on the injured list will have the opportunity to play pretty quickly and help be ready sooner than later. The minor camps start this month in Arizona and it’s important to have minor league seasons this year after none in 2020.
— On preparing Dinelson Lamet: “It’s a long season and we want him firing the most bullets as we go through the season and get deeper into the year, into October. It’s common sense, we’re doing everything possible to build him up the right way. He has passed every test. He understands it. We’re putting a lot of value on being extra cautious and make sure we’re being as smart as possible to prepare him for a long season. We think he’ll start progressing a little quicker. Hopefully, have him here sooner than later.”
