Change is already afoot in the Padres organization.
Farm director Sam Geaney has been let go, the Union-Tribune confirmed Tuesday. Geaney's contract was up at the end of the season.
Geaney's departure was first reported by The Athletic.
Geaney was hired in October 2014 as General Manager A.J. Preller settled in as the head of the Padres' baseball operations and was charged with overseeing the development of a number of blue-chip prospects as the franchise went all in on building from the ground up.
The organization spent more than $80 million, including overage taxes on the 2016-17 international class, picked in the upper third of the draft from 2016 through 2020 and flipped a number of big-league assets for long-term development projects.
The biggest success story under Geaney was Fernando Tatis Jr., the chief return in the James Shields trade in 2016, developing into an MVP candidate.
Right-hander Chris Paddack, from the Fernando Rodney trade that same year, has also become a mainstay in the rotation and left-hander Ryan Weathers, the No. 7 overall pick from the 2018 draft, was a key contributor throughout the first half of 2021 before losing his effectiveness after the trade deadline.
There has been little additional help from a farm system once tabbed the deepest in baseball, although dozens of other players have been included in trades to bolster the big-league team, particularly a rotation for last year's playoff run (Mike Clevinger) and this year's all-in push (Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove).
The aftermath in the minor league system saw all four full-season affiliates finish below .500 and Triple-A El Paso see its record plummet from 80-60 in 2019 to 45-74 through Monday.
El Paso's season is continuing through the first weekend of October as is the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Padres, the lone affiliate with a winning record at 31-18.
Perhaps the biggest concern is MacKenzie Gore's 2021 season.
The No. 3 overall pick from the 2017 draft and once considered the top pitching prospect in the game, the 22-year-old Gore had a 5.85 ERA through his first six starts at Triple-A El Paso before he was removed from competition to address both a blister and mechanics that went awry last year at the alternate site.
Gore spent roughly two months in extended spring training in Peoria, Ariz., before resuming his season in rookie ball. He made three starts there (1.65 ERA), one in High-A (5.40 ERA) and two for Double-A San Antonio (3.00 ERA), but has not been considered a legitimate option for a big-league rotation that was in dire need of innings throughout the season.
