The Padres have fired team president Mike Dee, the club announced in a very brief statement on Wednesday. Dee had been in his current position since July 17, 2013.
Given the circumstances surrounding the Padres at present, seeing front office heads roll isn't exactly surprising, even if which front office member was fired might come as a surprise.
Not only did the 2016 San Diego Padres finish in last place at 68-94 -- their sixth-straight losing season and 10th consecutive season missing the playoffs -- but they had some issues regarding medicals in trades.
First up, starting pitcher Colin Rea had been sent as part of a multi-player deal to the Marlins. He fell injured during his first start with the Marlins and ended up being sent right back. Reports at the time said that Marlins' front office was furious with the Padres.
Then there was the grievance the Red Sox filed over the medicals of starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz that ended with Padres general manager A.J. Preller suspended for 30 days.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Dee's departure is unrelated to Preller's suspension. Preller's suspension end on Oct. 19, so it's possible that Preller gets fired once the suspension is up?
The Union-Tribune reports, however, that Preller's job is "not in jeopardy."
Dee is the one who hired Preller, for what it's worth, and a series of moves by Preller in the spring leading up to the 2015 season have been responsible for a series of trades that have been widely panned in the aftermath.
If nothing else, it'll be interesting to watch how this unfolds. Was Dee the problem? Will Preller continue to rebuild after his attempted "chips to the middle" moves initially failed and right the ship? Or will Preller just be fired once his suspension is up.
As things stand, the Padres situation is a bit of a mess, but nothing in this league is unsalvageable and they do have some young talent they can build around.
