SAN DIEGO — John Seidler’s first effort at communicating to Padres fans following a season was somewhat different than the standard public relations-crafted missive.

In an email sent to every account in the team’s database, there were the usual platitudes of gratitude for fans’ support. But the Padres chairman’s four-paragraph letter went further, as he went on to assert the team’s weaknesses had been “exposed” in their wild-card Series loss and to acknowledge the “need to get better.”

It was a public pronouncement that a franchise with a history of sub-mediocrity has entered a new era where expectations have leveled up greatly.

“While we have made the postseason in four of the last six years and had two consecutive 90-win regular seasons for the first time in franchise history, we fell short of our goal to win a World Series Championship,” Seidler wrote. “Our elimination in the Wild Card round was a disappointment and exposed areas where we must improve. As we look ahead to 2026, our goal remains the same, but we need to get better to accomplish that goal. The process of getting better will begin immediately as we perform a thorough review of our organization with an eye towards improving and winning our first World Series Championship.”

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Perhaps most compelling about the communique was that it lined up with what multiple people inside the organization have said in recent days about the mood at Petco Park.

Playoff appearances are no longer enough, and there is in some ways a greater level of dissatisfaction now than in any October in recent memory.

The meetings alluded to by Seidler, who took over as chairman in February, are standard. The organization conducts a review of all aspects of its business and baseball operations at the conclusion of every season. Much of what is reviewed this October in terms of best practices will not differ from previous years.

There is certainly a sense that plenty is being done well. The Padres won a team-record 183 games in manager Mike Shildt’s two seasons, and have made the playoffs four times in the last six years. The two times the Padres did not make it, they contended until late in the season.

But the inventory being taken this October is considered paramount for the future of the franchise.

The Padres must consider how they are doing (and are not doing) some things, and potentially whether all the same people will be involved going forward.

We can’t know the answers or even all the questions, because the Padres have not settled on those. That is what the coming weeks are for.

We can, however, assess their most pressing topics based on what people in and around the organization have said in recent days and weeks.

At the top

By all accounts, the intention is that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and Shildt will remain. Preller has one year remaining on his contract, and Shildt has two.

Multiple sources have said Shildt’s spot is virtually guaranteed and that Preller’s long-term employment with the Padres is practically assured. Some of those same sources said they expect an extension for Preller to be announced this month.

However, those people have cautioned that the parties still have to discuss the terms and parameters of an extension and, importantly, what is expected in terms of day-to-day operations going forward.

Hitting the right notes

Several in the organization believe it’s imperative that the Padres examine their hitting philosophy.

The gap-to-gap line-drive emphasis of the past two years under hitting coach Victor Rodriguez was highly effective in 2024, but there is a belief by some that it was an albatross in 2025.

The Padres sank from 10th to 28th in home runs, from eighth to 18th in runs scored and from sixth to 16th in OPS.

They were better than middling based on their execution of small ball, how Shildt managed in order to maximize margins and how the pitching staff performed. But multiple people in the organization predicted going into the postseason that, if the team’s run ended early, its demise would be the offense.

Particularly, the lack of slug was concerning.

There is an understanding that for as much as pitching, defense and baserunning can be separators in the playoffs, teams that hit home runs generally stick around longer.

The staff

The Padres are said to be assessing how certain coaches performed — and whether they will be retained.

Some coaches have expiring contracts, and some could be let go or choose to depart.

There are seven managerial openings around Major League Baseball, and some Padres coaches have been mentioned as having ties to potential managerial hires (and to new Rangers manager Skip Schumaker).

A team seeking a manager could ask permission to interview pitching coach Ruben Niebla. It is not known whether that will happen, and the Imperial Valley native is under contract for two more years. But Niebla has expressed an interest in managing in the past.

Also, one or more of the teams that hire a new manager could want to talk to bullpen coach Ben Fritz about becoming their pitching coach. Fritz, who has risen through the Padres system and been on the big-league staff since 2020, is intimately involved in the running of the Padres’ pitching staff and is considered by many to be ready to be a lead pitching coach.

The stars

Any assessment of coaches has to be made in the context of how much they can affect player performance.

The Padres appear puzzled as to why there was such a lack of consistency this season, particularly among their best players. How to address that inconsistency — and whether it is actually a long-term issue or an anomaly — is said to be a priority.

None of these things are particularly alarming. In fact, they are the types of issues a good franchise assesses regularly.

But there is a belief the Padres need to make some things right — and right away.

While Preller and his lieutenants have shown the ability to build (and rebuild) winning rosters, they have some important and highly paid players approaching an age where their performance will likely enter a significant decline. The window may not shut any time soon, but there is an awareness that it might.

That window has been open for six years, and the Padres have so far fallen short of what has clearly become the only goal that matters.

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