Major League Baseball on Thursday handed down one of the more severe penalties for an executive in recent memory, announcing 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 related to 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 records after recent trades made by Preller raised questions around the industry. At least three teams _ the Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox _ expressed displeasure over what they believed to be deliberate withholding of information that is typically exchanged before a deal is consummated, sources told the Union-Tribune.
"I accept full responsibility for issues related to the oversight of our medical administration and record keeping," Preller said in a statement. "I want to emphasize that there was no malicious intent on the part of me, or anyone on my staff, to conceal information or disregard MLB's recommended guidelines. This has been a learning process for me. I will serve my punishment and look forward to being back on the job in 30 days."
Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, Managing Partner Peter Seidler and President and CEO Mike Dee issued a joint statement.
"We accept the discipline handed down from Major League Baseball earlier today and will fully comply with Commissioner Manfred's recommendations pertaining to changes with our medical administration and record keeping," the statement read. "Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned in developing comprehensive processes to remediate this unintentional, but inexcusable, occurrence.
"To be clear, we believe that there was no intent on the part of A.J. Preller or other members of our baseball operations staff to mislead other clubs. We are obviously disappointed that we will lose A.J.'s services for 30 days, but will work closely with him upon his reinstatement to ensure that this unfortunate set of circumstances does not happen again."
Besides the above statements, Padres officials declined to comment on MLB's decision to suspend Preller. No further punishment for the organization is forthcoming from MLB, industry sources said.
According to sources familiar with the organization's thinking, the Padres have no plans to fire Preller or impose further discipline over what is clearly an embarrassing episode for the franchise. In recent months, ownership has repeatedly praised the GM for his efforts in restocking the farm system.
Still, the developments that culminated in Thursday's announcement have cast an undesirable spotlight.
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 record-keeping. That marked a departure from the Padres' practices in past seasons, as well as a deviation from expected procedure in the industry.
Each MLB team inputs information into a central medical records system accessible to the other 29 clubs, and in prior years the Padres generally had been thorough in this regard, sources said.
After the end of last season, the Padres parted ways with longtime head athletic trainer Todd Hutcheson. In February, Preller hired Hutcheson's replacement, Mark Rogow, who had spent the previous five years working with the United States Department of Defense.
In meetings held during spring training, according to Olney's report, the organization's athletic trainers were instructed to feed medical information related to disabled-list stints into MLB's central system, but they also were told to restrict details about preventive treatments to internal records. Union-Tribune sources confirmed that some athletic trainers felt uncomfortable with the new mandate, fearing industry backlash.
There are no clearly established rules that govern the exchange of medical information in trades. Recent deals involving the Padres have sparked conversation as to whether there should be.
Two days after he pitched in his first All-Star Game, Pomeranz was shipped to Boston for Anderson Espinoza, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. While Pomeranz has not gone on the DL, industry sources said the Red Sox felt they had not been fully informed of certain preventive treatments until after the lefty switched teams.
On July 29, the Padres dealt right-hander Colin Rea to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal. Rea debuted with Miami the next day, threw 31/3 scoreless innings and exited the game due to injury. According to sources, the Marlins asked Rea if he was taking any medication for elbow discomfort, and the pitcher revealed he had been put on anti-inflammatories.
On Aug. 1, Rea was dealt back to San Diego in exchange for pitching prospect Luis Castillo, who also had been part of the original deal. Sources said the second trade sufficiently rectified the situation with the Marlins, who asserted they had been given damaged goods; a subsequent MRI showed ligament damage in Rea's elbow.
The 26-year-old, hoping to avoid Tommy John surgery, received a platelet-rich plasma injection last month.
The complete fallout from Thursday's news remains to be seen. The Padres, particularly since Preller's hiring in August 2014, have been active on the trade market.
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. Last summer, he was fined by the league for an illegal workout in Aruba.
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."
