The Padres are losing a steady presence from their baseball operations staff, but this one comes with a built-in explanation. A.J. Ellis is leaving San Diego to join Andy Green’s coaching staff with the Mets as their major-league strategy coordinator, a move that reunites two longtime friends in New York.
According to Kevin Acee, Green and Ellis had wanted to work together for a long time. Now they finally get the chance, while the Padres are left to sort out the departure of someone they had kept in the organization through several different versions of the club.
Ellis first came into the Padres’ orbit in 2018, when he caught for San Diego during his final major-league season. After his playing career ended, the organization found a place for him in baseball operations, where he joined the staff in 2019.
The Padres had already seen enough to believe his baseball career should continue with them. During that last season, MLB.com documented his relationship with Austin Hedges, who regularly sought out the veteran catcher. Ellis brought the kind of experience younger players wanted to tap into.
That matters even if his title - “special assistant” - can sound vague from the outside. In Ellis’ case, the value is easier to see. He had lived the job of preparing for major-league hitters, working with pitchers and handling the daily grind that comes with catching at that level.
There’s no way to know every piece of work he handled behind the scenes, and the Padres aren’t likely to say exactly how they’ll absorb it. But they kept him around for years, which says plenty about how they viewed his role and the value he brought.
For Green, the move gives him a trusted voice as he settles into his permanent role in New York. The Mets gave him a three-year contract in September, and having a close friend on staff should make that transition easier.
For Ellis, the appeal is straightforward: a major-league coaching opportunity with his best friend. The Padres may be able to distribute his duties among other special assistants and advisers already in the organization, but they still have to make sure the work gets covered and the people who leaned on him know where to go next.
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