The Padres just announced they have hired Sandy Alderson as their "chief executive officer", according to this San Diego U-T article:

Alderson is to become San Diego's chief executive officer, giving him all authority beneath that of club chairman John Moores. President and CEO Dick Freeman and General Manager Kevin Towers are to remain in the organization, with Freeman's title changing to president and chief operating officer.

Official announcement will be made on Tuesday...

Alderson has turned down other clubs that sought him, but is to arrive in San Diego Tuesday for a news conference introducing him as a Padres executive.

"This is a unique opportunity for Sandy to be running the show," said a person close to Alderson. "This gives him another set of challenges."

Surprise to me.  Sandy has been out of it for a while and I thought he went to the MLB offices because he was tired of running a team.

Take the poll.

Update [2005-4-19 0:29:7 by MJB]: Another article on Alderson's new gig is now up on mlb.com:

Alderson will immediately leave his post as Major League Baseball's executive vice president in charge of baseball operations to take over the day-to-day operations of the Padres.

Alderson had previously been with the Oakland A's from 1981 until he left for MLB in 1998, holding the positions of general counsel, general manager and president. His Oakland tenure included the A's most recent era as a powerhouse when they won three consecutive American League pennants from 1988-90 and the World Series in 1989.

"For me this is the last piece of a complicated puzzle that involved building a ballpark and redeveloping San Diego," Moores said on Monday before the Giants played the Padres at PETCO Park. "It's time to build a competitive team and it allows us to significantly strengthen our management team.

"I think this is our most significant signing in the 11 years I've owned the team."