SAN ANTONIO — A.J. Preller was late to the Wednesday afternoon video conference in which he was to speak to the media about manager Mike Shildt’s contract extension.
Shildt sat on camera, alone in his office at Petco Park, for several minutes.
When Preller finally joined the meeting and got his video and microphone squared away, he appeared on screen from his hotel room at the General Manager Meetings.
“Ready to roll, Mike?” Preller asked while sporting a wide smile and exhibiting enthusiasm uncommon for him in that setting.
“Ready to roll, brother,” came the reply.
“Nice.”
Preller then began his formal remarks Wednesday by saying, “I wish I could be there in San Diego with Shildty right now. Cant wait to get back to San Diego and give him another hug and chest bump and (fist) pound. Super excited to make this announcement.”
Shildt received a two-year contract extension, which was finalized Tuesday, for the success he helped foster in his first season as manager. The Padres won 93 games, second most in team history, and advanced to the National League Division Series.
But the camaraderie — alignment, symmetry, understanding, whatever — between Shildt and Preller cannot be discounted as a factor as to why it made sense to the Padres to commit to Shildt through 2027.
“There are a lot of things that we have common ground with,” Preller said. “I think just that passion to win. This is Mikes life. … Mike is geared up to, like, ‘How do we go get better?’ And I think we both share that trait in terms of just constantly looking to improve, that continual improvement gene. When you have people that think that way, it makes their relationship a lot easier. Thats been a big trait for Mike and myself and a big part of our relationship here the last couple of years.”
It can be difficult to manage under Preller. He has had remarkable continuity in his player personnel department, and those who have worked for him for a long time are steadfastly loyal. But no one denies his relentless motor and virtually constant brainstorming of ideas takes some acclimation and can be draining, especially for the man entrusted with managing the roster Preller assembles.
While the past five years have arguably comprised the most successful stretch in franchise history, Shildt is the third manager in that span. The previous two were at the helm for a playoff run in their first season and gone after their second — with Jayce Tingler fired in 2021 and Bob Melvin taking another job in 23.
Shildt had two years working in the organization before ascending the managers chair, came in with his eyes wide open and committed to what he called “alignment” and being “equally yoked with Preller.
“We both have a shared passion for this game and a strong desire for competitive greatness, and thats what fuels our relationship,” Shildt said. “And were able to have just honest dialogue. We dont agree some days. Sometimes it takes us a day or two to get to a mutual disagreement. But for the most part — a high percentage — we end up being completely aligned. And we respect each other enough to move on and support the other persons vision for what this needs to look like. And that give-and-take is really, really important.”
Preller on Wednesday referred to managers who are not intimately involved in discussions and plans during the offseason. That was clearly a veiled reference to Melvin, who did not mix well with Preller practically from the time he was hired and departed after two tense seasons to manage the Giants.
Shildt, whose offseason home is in North Carolina, has been in San Diego (and around Petco Park) since the end of the season and will be there at least into next week for meetings regarding next year’s club.
“He brings a lot of positives in terms of his motor and want-to and willingness,” Preller said.
It was important to Shildt, too, that his coaches return and be taken care of. It appears likely that will happen after several years of frequent turnover among the staff.
The Padres have offered contracts to all their coaches whose deals were expiring and expect to have the same staff in 2025.
Pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who has overseen one of MLB’s most consistent staffs the past three seasons, will take part in meetings regarding the pitching group the next two days even though his new contract has not yet been agreed to.
Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, who was under contract through 2025, is expected to have at least one more year added to his deal.
“It was really important to me before we got into it with my contract situation and my future with this organization, I wanted to make sure our staff was taken care of,” Shildt said. “… The importance of the staff being together was really vital for me to be able to lock into this extension.”
Preller called it a “parallel path” of working on Shildt’s contract and those of the coaches.
“Its pretty easy to be on the same page in terms of bringing this group back, Preller said. … We think we have a super talented group, and weve been having different conversations with everybody on that staff. And I think its really about bringing that group back and building on the success from this year and having that continuity.”
And at the top will be Shildt and Preller. Together.
“Hes really a guy that Ive enjoyed getting to know,” Shildt said. “… Its not always smooth sailing, but we know were working off the same script with the same vision — and thats to win a world championship here in San Diego and be a first-class organization in the industry. … I know were set up for success moving forward. And I expect to work closely with him the next several years to continue to solidify this being a very impressive run in Padre history.”