San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller had no qualms about once again trading away some of the organization's best prospects at the deadline in order to improve the team.
"We're trying to win," Preller said, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. "We don't apologize for it."
On Monday, Preller dealt three of the organization's top 10 prospects to acquire left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Casey Mize, who are expected to help out an injury-depleted rotation.
The decision to trade top prospects is reminiscent of ones Preller has made in the past, albeit on a smaller scale this year. Since 2014, when San Diego hired Preller as general manager, the executive has made a number of blockbuster trades that emptied the team's farm system in the process.
Players such as Max Fried, Trea Turner, CJ Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, David Bednar, Andrés Muñoz, Xavier Edwards, Josh Naylor, and Owen Caissie were dealt by the Padres when they were still budding stars. Last season, Preller traded Leo De Vries, one of the top prospects in baseball, for closer Mason Miller.
While those deals typically create buzz, the Padres are still without a World Series title, and Preller's farm system no longer ranks among the best in baseball.
"We're trying to win championships," Preller said. "We're trying to get to the postseason - and do it year after year."
