Major League Baseball on Thursday announced a 30-day suspension without pay for Padres general manager A.J. Preller. The punishment was levied as the result of an investigation into the Padres' handling of medical information in the July 14 trade that sent left-hander Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox.
The league had been reviewing the Padres' documentation and disclosure of medical information following recent trades made by Preller. At least three teams that recently completed deals with the Padres _ the Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox _ expressed their displeasure over what they believed to be deliberate withholding of medical information that is typically exchanged before a trade is consummated, sources told the Union-Tribune.
As first reported by ESPN's Buster Olney and confirmed by Union-Tribune sources, Padres officials held meetings during spring training in which they instructed the organization's athletic trainers to maintain two separate files for medical information on players _ one for industry usage and the other for internal usage.
That marked a departure from the Padres' medical recording practices in past seasons, as well as a deviation from generally expected procedure in the industry.
Preller was previously suspended by MLB while he was the assistant GM of the Texas Rangers. That ban, which also was for 30 days, stemmed from an issue relating to international signing rules.
MLB released the following statement Thursday:
"Major League Baseball has completed an investigation into the July 14th transaction in which pitcher Drew Pomeranz was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox. MLB's Department of Investigations conducted the thorough review, which included interviews with relevant individuals from both Clubs. The findings were submitted to Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
"As a result of this matter, Major League Baseball announced today that A.J. Preller, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Padres, has received a 30-day suspension without pay.
"MLB considers the matter closed and will have no further comment."
