Padres GM A.J. Preller has made trades with all but one MLB team

Padres GM A.J. Preller has made trades with all but one MLB team originally appeared on The Sporting News

No team was more aggressive at the MLB trade deadline in 2025 than the San Diego Padres. A.J. Preller swung deals with multiple teams, improving the bullpen, starting rotation, catcher, infield, and outfield overall.

He completed trades with the Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, and the Kansas City Royals. Ever since taking over as general manager in 2014, Preller has been making deals with plenty of teams.

But, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today points out, there is only one team he has yet to make a trade with. That team, unsurprisingly, is in the NL West, but it's not the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"Since becoming the Padres GM in 2014, Nightengale writes, "A.J. Preller has made at least one trade with every team except the Arizona Diamondbacks, and all but only three teams since 2020 - Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Diamondbacks."

It's not a surprise that the only team he hasn't completed a trade with is from the division he's been a general manager in. But, considering he's spent over a decade with the team, it is surprising there hasn't been at least one trade between the two teams.

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Preller has a knack for making trades and isn't afraid of paying fair value for players. Unlike other general managers who might limit themselves in trade talks, Preller is one of the best general managers when it comes to making trades.

While he can't make a deal with the Diamondbacks for now, in the offseason, he could look to finally make a trade with every team in the offseason. Arizona is in a transition stage, and the Padres are likely to reshape their roster in the offseason.

Intra-division trades are rare, but if any general manager could pull one off, it's Preller. In the offseason and going forward, waiting for the first Padres-Diamondbacks trade under Preller's tenure is another thing to monitor in what's likely to be a busy offseason.

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