SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have parted ways with farm director Sam Geaney, multiple team sources said on Tuesday.

Geaney, who served as the team’s head of player development since 2014, was slated to be out of a contract after the '21 season.

"Sam has done a very good job building one of the top farm systems in the game over the last seven years," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said in a prepared statement via text. "I'm proud of the work he has done developing both players and coaches. We feel confident that we have a group of player development staff who are prepared and ready to take on the continued challenge of being a top tier baseball development system."

Upon his arrival, Geaney oversaw a complete rebuild of the Padres' system into one of the best in the sport after a hefty investment from the organization on the international market, plus a number of trades and top picks. It marked a long-term project in which Preller intended to build a perennial contender from within.

Geaney's group helped develop Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack among others. They also helped turn a number of would-be trade chips into players that other teams coveted, as Preller has embarked on spree after spree in the trade market of late.

However, with the Padres in need of big league-caliber reinforcements at several points this season, their system often failed to provide them. That's partly due to the volume of players traded over the past few seasons. But development of prospects like MacKenzie Gore -- once the sport's top pitching prospect -- has slowed.

Geaney's departure perhaps foreshadows a busy offseason in San Diego, as the Padres have drastically underperformed expectations. Once believed to be World Series contenders, they find themselves four games back in the race for the second Wild Card spot with 13 days left in the season.