SAN DIEGO -- Sandy Alderson, one of Major League Baseball's
top executives, has been hired as CEO of the San Diego Padres.
The hiring will be announced Tuesday, a Padres official,
speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on
Monday night.
Alderson, who signed a five-year contract with the Padres, immediately will leave his post as executive vice president for baseball operations in
the commissioner's office, a post he's held since September 1998, MLB.com reported.
Alderson is expected to be in charge of baseball operations with
the Padres, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1998, when they
were swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. Dick
Freeman, currently the president and CEO, will remain as president.
Alderson is a former general manager and president of the
Oakland Athletics. During his tenure, the A's won four division
titles, three AL pennants and a World Series.
Alderson was noted for his bitter criticism of the big contracts
received by Kevin Brown from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December
1998 -- after leading the Padres to the World Series -- and Alex
Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers in December 2000.
At the winter meetings in December 2000, commenting on Mike
Hampton's $121 million contract and Rodriguez's record $252 million
deal, Alderson said: "In two days, we've doubled a new highest
salary. I don't like the exponentiality of that."
In San Diego, he will work for an owner, John Moores, who also
has chafed at high salaries.
"For me this is the last piece of a complicated puzzle that involved building a ballpark and redeveloping San Diego," Moores told MLB.com on Monday. "I think this is our most significant signing in the 11 years I've owned the team.
"You know I've been worried about our minor league system. And Sandy has a strong background as a president, GM and a big deal at MLB."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.