In a surprising turn of events, Mike Dee, the executive who had been entrusted with running the Padres, is out as president and CEO of the franchise.
"My goal and our organization's objective is to have stability and long-term tenure in our front office, but sometimes these changes are inevitable," Padres managing partner Peter Seidler said in a statement provided to the Union-Tribune. "Mike is no longer with the Padres, but I know our organization is strong and on the right path.
"(Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler) and I set forth the vision for the ballclub and lead the strategic planning, in collaboration with our senior executives. We have a skilled group of professionals in the front office who will take on extra responsibility as we look to fill this position."
No specific reason was given for what is being described as a parting of ways. Reached Wednesday morning, Dee said he preferred not to comment at this time.
"Mike's departure creates a position we will need to fill, and the search will begin immediately," Fowler said in the statement to the Union-Tribune. "In the meantime, we will work closely with our talented and trusted senior executives to lead the organization forward.
"We will continue to work hard to build a winning ballclub and to provide our fans an exceptional experience at Petco Park. I remain optimistic about the future as we develop a core group of home-grown players who play an energetic, aggressive style of baseball."
Fowler and Seidler declined further comment.
Dee's departure is not directly related to the 30-game suspension that Major League Baseball levied on Padres general manager A.J. Preller last month, sources said. However, industry sources suggested Wednesday's move may be the accumulation of internal issues, with the suspension of Preller, who reported to Dee, perhaps being a tipping point.
Preller was penalized after a league investigation determined the Padres had withheld medical information from trade partners. Preller, who will return to the team Oct. 19, is not in jeopardy of losing his job, according to sources.
Dee left his post as CEO of the Miami Dolphins to be named the Padres' president and CEO on July 17, 2013. He returned to San Diego after having spent eight seasons as a key business executive with the Padres from 1995-2002. He spent parts of eight seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 2002-2009, the last seven of which were as the team's chief operating officer.
In his second go-around with the Padres, Dee hired Preller, oversaw renovations to Petco Park, was involved in the team's successful bid to host the 2016 All-Star Game and brought a variety of non-baseball events to Petco.
His tenure was also marked by controversy and, at times, sharp criticism. In June, a number of Padres blogs called for Dee's firing, citing the team's poor performance and a string of off-the-field decisions that drew negative publicity. Seidler responded with a vote of confidence for Dee at the time, telling the Union-Tribune: "He's made a significant, very measurable, positive impact on the business of the Padres. Revenue has grown through all the relevant categories.
"The successful and admirable work that Mike has done has allowed us to increase our major league payroll _ we've surpassed $100 million dollars two years now _ and has allowed us to spend every penny of our $13 million amateur draft pool ... and it's also allowed us to be much more active when it comes to being a significant presence in all the relevant baseball markets. If it weren't for Mike, we simply wouldn't have the capital available to do all those things at the same time.
"As our primary owner, I expect him to be our CEO for a long, long time. Mike has a very long-term contract with us, and I expect him to honor it. I know we'll honor it."
