SAN DIEGO -- When it all came to a screeching halt in Chicago -- when a Padres season with sky-high ambitions came to a bitter end following a tense Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs -- that’s when general manager A.J. Preller said he first had a hunch.

Manager Mike Shildt asked for a few days to reset mentally and to return home to the Carolinas. Preller said he could tell that Shildt felt exhausted after the grind of a long season. It was nine days later that Shildt informed Preller of his plan to retire as the Padres' manager -- news that became official on Monday and stunned most of the baseball world. But not Preller.

“Probably more of a surprise than a shock,” he said.

On Tuesday, Preller addressed the media for the first time since the Padres’ season came to an end -- and the

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