MLB suspends Padres GM Preller for 30 days 9-15-16 [1]
Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today that A.J. Preller, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Padres, has received a 30-day suspension without pay. MLB considers the matter closed and has no further comment.
No explanation from MLB!
What this is really about is punishment for A.J. Preller winning the trade deadline, dumping all his junk ahead of everyone else and getting the best prospects while glutting the market. Padres aren’t supposed to do that. It would have been alright for the Yanks or Sox, but not the Friars. Therefore, MLB steps in and ‘corrects’ the situation. [2]
Every team submits player medical records to a central database, while maintaining their own records & opinions of their players. This is proprietary to each organization, as each seeks an edge over the rest. It isn’t unethical to withhold that data, in fact it’s considered best-practice for the industry.
Each team has the right to a player undergoing a complete physical before any trade is approved by MLB. This should be more than a cursory review of the partner organization’s records, but an independent evaluation by their own medical staff. MLB plays the role of enabler here, trying to make up for the lack of diligence on behalf of their chosen favorites.
One final note on the Buster Olney piece up on ESPN, which amounts to a hatchet job on the Padres. It is very clear that the White Sox & Marlins are in on this with the Red Sox. These teams got fleeced by A.J. Preller during the trade season because their GM’s & scouting failed. James Shields, Fernando Rodney, Drew Pomeranz & Andrew Cashner were all overpays for their buyers, and this story is an attempt to defect the blame away from their front office incompetence.
RHP Colin Rea was near his innings limit, yet still rushed into the Marlins rotation the day after the deal was made, and immediately injured by the Marlins. In the end, the Padres took 3 Tommy John pitchers from the Marlins (Chris Paddack, Carter Capps & Rea), without complaint. This punishment for Preller is hypocrisy, but it helps to maintain ‘team integrity’ and the proper ‘competitive balance” which is very important to MLB & ESPN.
Now that’s it’s over and Preller & the Padres have accepted their punishment, is there any comment from the owners & front offices of the Red/White Sox & Marlins? Their collective silence speaks for itself as cowardly & pathetic.
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