Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t going anywhere.
That’s what Padres common supervisor A.J. Preller claimed at the winter conferences this week despite commerce rumors swirling around the celebrity outfielder.
“He’s somebody that … we’re not talking about (trading),” Preller advised The Athletic. “So, however you want to view that, if you want to say that’s untouchable, you can say that.”
Preller, who has lengthy been identified to love making blockbuster strikes, echoed the same sentiment to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
San Diego Padres common supervisor A.J. Preller appears on during a press convention at Petco Park. USA TODAY Sports
“He’s one of the best players in baseball, is a two-time Platinum [Glove] winner,” Preller said. “The guy has taken over portions of seasons and games and playoff series and everything like that. … Every one of the different versions and iterations of the team and roster we put up there, it’s ’Tati’ right in the middle. Hopefully, he is one of the top players on our team this year. He’s somebody that we’re not talking about, however you want to say that. If you want to say that’s ’untouchable,’ you can say that.”
Tatis, who turns 27 in January, not too long ago surfaced in commerce rumors as the Padres face a bit of a payroll crunch with several big-money gamers on the books for 2026 and beyond.
In 2025, Tatis hit .268 with an .814 OPS and 25 home runs while ending eighth in the voting for the National League MVP Award.
San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. reacts after putting out during the eighth inning of Game 1 of a National League wild card baseball recreation Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Chicago. AP
Tatis also took home the Platinum Glove in the NL, which honors the high fielder in the league.
There are 9 years and $286 million remaining on the large extension Tatis signed before the 2021 season.
Padres chairman John Seidler said earlier this week that the franchise’s payroll, which sat around $224 million last season, will “remain at a similar level” in 2026.
In November, Seidler, the management particular person of the franchise, announced that the possession group is exploring a sale.
The announcement came nearly precisely two years after the day former chairman Peter Seidler, John’s father, died, which has since led to household infighting over team management.
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