Nick Canepa: A.J. Preller’s unprecedented deadline push gives Padres a chance

Sez Me …

On his way to this destination —  A.J. Preller’s Last Stand — the Padres’ president of baseball operations has traveled Highway Not Quite Good Enough to where he now finds himself: the exit to the community of Maybe Still Not Good Enough.

Now, if only he can avoid the outcome of the first and more historic Last Stand and win a decade-long battle that has been both expensive and futile.

I say A.J. has reached the Last Chance Saloon because he has failed to produce a champion despite an incredible amount of work. Because his real champion, the late and remarkably loyal owner Peter Seidler, no longer can carry his colors. Because I have to figure the Seiders who are now managing the cash register can’t have Peter’s patience (who can?) and sooner or later have to point to the no-return sign.

And Preller can read that sign. And that’s why he was the July 31 Trade Deadline Monster.

As you may know, I’ve never been enamored with Preller’s resume. The Padres simply have not won what matters during his long tenure, and dropped hundreds of millions in crumbs along the way while filling Petco as if admittance is free.

But what Preller did at the deadline, while most everyone else was sleeping at the wheel, is unprecedented in the history of baseball. With his unremarkable team sitting near the top of the Dodgers-heavy National League West, he made five trades involving 22 players. And, with the exception of minor league shortstop Leo De Vries, he had nothing to give.

Preller made the team better than it was before the deadline. The Dodgers aren’t invincible now — at least not yet — and baseball overall is not good. Preller obviously saw this and moved in like a second-story man, robbing the afraid. Most baseball people are afraid now.

And he’s given himself a chance. I’m not saying his Pads are going to win it all. With Fernando Tatis Jr. struggling at the plate, I’m not sure they’re good enough. But is anyone else?

It’s baseball, man. With their starting and relief pitching, the Padres have plenty enough to win. The frustrating part, as it has been for a while, is scoring enough runs, and the mysteries of Tatis aren’t helping.

The trade with the Orioles was big. Ramon Laureano fills the hole in left field and his bat already has made this a sound investment. Ryan O’Hearn can DH and play the occasional first base. The bullpen is the best in baseball — and bullpens matter as the stretch comes into view. Reliever/closer Mason Miller can throw 150 mph (OK, 104).

The Padres win close games. Matters.

A.J. may be the wildest deadline GM in history. What I can’t see here is the future. The once-rich farm soil has been turned over. He’s running out of trade product. And if this doesn’t work … well, you should be able to see why this could be his final act. He does not build with farm equipment.

Still, say this for the guy. He tries in a profession where not everyone does.

But the Deadline Acrobat doesn’t have benevolent Peter as a safety net anymore. He’s under the new Seidler circus tent, so he could be flying without protection.

I can’t help but think A.J. looked at the landscape and the opposition and figured this is it. It’s time. There cannot be a Preller’s Penultimate Stand. …

The Pads have to file a formal complaint about Tatis getting thrown at so often and he has to start going after the throwers, no matter the repercussions. That’s it. Enough already. …

Is that all? Denzel Perryman gets nabbed with five guns — including two of the assault variety — in his car. And the L.A. district attorney dropped all charges. Denzel’s excuse to authorities, that he was on a government mission driving weapons to Ukraine, worked. …

“I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for our organization, our fans, and my teammates,” says Cowboys holdout Micah Parsons. He’s right. Jerry Jones talks too much, and using injuries as a negotiating tool is stupid. This is why owners don’t belong in the Hall of Fame. …

Jones, on the Parsons situation: “It is what it is.” It is. Stupid. ….

The NFL Team That Used To Be Here losing left tackle Rashawn Slater is devastating. The Judases’ task just got much more difficult. All-Pros can’t be sufficiently replaced. …

Liam Coen, the Jaguars’ latest coach, believes rookie Travis Hunter can be the NFL’s offensive and defensive rookies of the year. Coach, Hunter may be a marvelous two-way talent, but do you also think there can be peace in our time? This is Oz, coach. Not Kansas. …

You know, Keenan Allen caught 70 passes last year. With the Bears. An expert who can help the Judases’ young pass catchers. …

Saw Aaron Rodgers in a moving-around-in-the-pocket-drill during Steelers practice and he looked so immobile that, if I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was me. …

Bill Belichick used to pay staffers $100 for batting down Tom Brady passes during practice. Tom countered, paying them $200 not to. Folks, that’s how you win Super Bowls. …

Nothing new. John Wooden had UCLA students on cranes trying to block Lew Alcindor’s sky hook. …

Remember back in 2003, when NFL owners (some reluctantly) went along with the idea of an NFL Network, ponying up $100 million to start? Well, ESPN (Disney) just bought it, along with offspring Red Zone and other media assets, for around $2 billion. …

Oh, that’s $62.5 million. Per team. Oh, what gambling has wrought. Another vice the hypocrites said they didn’t want. …

The Judases-Lions Hall of Fame game drew 2.4 million more viewers than an average NBA playoff game. Lousy practice game. NFL is a monster. …

The Padres were warned before they acquired starter JP Sears that, when successful, he too often leaned on battery mate Alvah Roebuck. …

Aztecs football coach Sean Lewis invited Steve Fisher to speak to his team. Sean is 1-0 in August. …

The NCAA will not add more teams to its 68-school NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2026. But don’t worry, you five-game winners. It’s coming. …

Here’s a presidential idea for an agent whose player finishes a season with poor numbers. Fire the person reporting the stats. …

The Bills’ new un-domed stadium has been designed to keep wind and swirling gusts off the field of play. A shame. Games really won’t be played in Buffalo — or even a facsimile — anymore. …

Saw a preview of robot soccer the other night. The flops were overly obvious, even for soccer. It was slow. And nobody scored, which did not make it preferable to the original. …

Churchill: “Nothing would be more fatal than for the government of states to get into the hands of experts.” See? Things are going to be OK.

I’m now convinced that, if I could get my caddie to drop the ball six inches from the cup, I’d be the greatest golfer who ever lived.