SAN DIEGO -- A.J. Preller's 30-day suspension ended on Wednesday, and the Padres general manager returns to duty with a busy offseason on the horizon.
In September, Preller was suspended by Major League Baseball as a result of undisclosed medical information in the trade that sent left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the Padres to the Red Sox in July.
Preller is returning to an undoubtedly different environment, as the Padres recently parted ways with team president and CEO Mike Dee, who hired Preller in 2014 and largely oversaw Preller's decisions.
The Padres are leaning toward a structure in which Preller would report directly to ownership, while the new team president handles the business side.