A.J. Preller came up in baseball with Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels, and he's taking an awfully aggressive approach to his first offseason as big-league GM in his new stomping grounds of San Diego.
Preller has transformed the weak-hitting Padres overnight by acquiring Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and now his latest addition, Atlanta Braves slugger Justin Upton. He's also traded for Derek Norris, and suddenly, the Padres have one of the most feared, power-filled lineups in baseball even if they play in a pitcher's paradise.
But is Preller done? Something tells me no.
In fact, what if he's about to work a big deal with his former employer and his ol' buddy JD.
The Rangers have been hot on Upton for quite some time, even dating back to a couple of years ago when the Braves ended up getting him from Arizona. He would add a huge bat to the middle of the Rangers' lineup. But he's also a free agent after the 2015 season, and it'd be hard to imagine JD parting with a top-level prospect, such as Jurickson Profar even in his injured, uncertain state, to get that.
Myers could make more sense and would warrant giving up better prospects for the former Rays standout rookie who fell on some harder times last year after winning the AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2013. He's still young (24) and is very controllable (after the 2020 season).
