A.J. Preller, San Diego Padres general manager and noted blacktop sniper, is feeling the jumper.
On Sunday evening, two days after Christmas, Preller was in agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell for four players, three of them among his top 14 minor-league prospects. By Monday afternoon, he’d signed Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim, and later in the evening had a deal with the Chicago Cubs for Yu Darvish, a Cy Young runner-up last season, and catcher Victor Caratini, who caught all 12 of Darvish’s starts last season.