In the weeks before the trade deadline, San Diego general manager A.J. Preller and his assistants made a detailed list of areas in which the Padres wanted to improve their roster before the pennant race began in earnest.
Preller then addressed essentially every single one of those needs Thursday in another prolific deadline performance by the Padres' front office.
San Diego swung five trades and acquired seven major league players, headlined by the additions of hard-throwing closer Mason Miller from the Athletics and All-Star first baseman Ryan O'Hearn from Baltimore.
“I think we’ve taken a team that’s (already) in position to play in the playoffs, and hopefully rounded it out and given (manager Mike Shildt) and his staff the opportunity to do their thing,” Preller said.
Preller picked up Miller and left-hander JP Sears while shipping four solid prospects to the A's. The Padres then got catcher Freddy Fermin from Kansas City before acquiring O'Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano from the Orioles for another bounty of prospects. San Diego also added left-hander Nestor Cortés from Milwaukee and utility infielder Will Wagner from Toronto.
Preller was his usual voracious self at the deadline, sending out 14 players and acquiring eight. The deals addressed his desires to patch San Diego's lineup at left field and catcher and addressed its infield depth while adding two left-handed starting pitchers. Somewhat unexpectedly, he also bolstered an already strong bullpen with Miller, a player long coveted by Preller.
“If you’re going to win a championship, you can’t have any weak links,” Preller said. “The pieces fit, and the personalities. I’m looking forward to having a lot of conversation with Shildty about the clubhouse dynamic, and how these guys are going to fit in.”
He traded a big chunk of his thin farm system’s best talent — headlined by shortstop Leo De Vries, one of the top prospects in baseball — to acquire Miller, one of the majors’ most dynamic relievers, and the dependable Sears.
Preller then gave up major league starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek for Fermin in a bid to raise the Padres’ meager offensive production at catcher.
The Padres shipped six prospects — headlined by 6-foot-8 left-handed pitcher Boston Bateman — to Baltimore for O'Hearn and Laureano, two proven major league hitters who should boost the Padres' inconsistent offense.
San Diego sent reserve outfielder Brandon Lockridge to the Brewers for Cortés, a 2022 All-Star with the Yankees who is ready to return to the majors after missing nearly four months with an elbow injury. Preller said he expects Cortés to join the rotation immediately.
The Padres entered Thursday in the National League’s final wild-card spot at 60-49 after sweeping the New York Mets on Wednesday for their fifth consecutive win overall. San Diego trails the defending champion Dodgers (63-46) by just three games in the NL West, and Preller believes his veteran core has World Series potential.
“I think we have a team that can play deep” into October, Preller said. “We have those needs, and let’s go fill them. … Our team has put us in a position to get excited. I think we made our club better, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes in the next few months.”
But Preller doesn't see his latest depletion of his farm system as signaling a World-Series-or-bust mentality, emphasizing the Padres’ multiyear control over several acquisitions, including Miller, while noting that his scouting and player development departments continue to replenish his trade capital.
“I think the expectation of this group is always to be able to go and win a ring, win a world championship,” said Preller, whose 2024 team lost a heartbreaking division series to the eventual champion Dodgers. “It’s like last year. We got to the playoffs. We felt like we had a chance. We fell a little short. … This year from our standpoint, it’s going to be kind of like last year. It’s not about one season. That’s our goal, to continue to extend this run. We feel good about where we’re at with that.”
That belief is also underlined by what Preller didn't do.
The Padres kept All-Star closer Robert Suárez, who leads the majors with 30 saves, and inconsistent starter Dylan Cease. Both Suárez and Cease can reach free agency this winter, but Preller declined to make trades that almost certainly would have hurt the current team's playoff prospects.
Preller said he never intended to trade Suárez, although the volume of calls on the closer increased after he acquired Miller. He doesn't know who will close games for San Diego, leaving the decision to Shildt.
The Padres already had one of the majors’ best bullpens anchored by three All-Stars: Suárez, setup man Jason Adam and Adrián Morejón.
“It was the intention just to continue to add to the bullpen,” Preller said. “We think the scenario is a really good one with a dominant bullpen.”
Preller also told Cease on Wednesday that the Padres wanted to keep him as a front-of-the-rotation starter.
“Our best team has Dylan Cease on it, and I think he understands that,” Preller said.
Preller's flashiest move was for the 26-year-old Miller, whose fastball averages 101 mph. He has 20 saves in 23 opportunities, a 3.76 ERA and 59 strikeouts for the A’s this season. Miller was an All-Star in 2024, and he is under team control through the 2029 season.
San Diego also gave up an impressive package of prospects to get Miller, sending 18-year-old wunderkind De Vries and right-handed pitchers Henry Báez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nuñez to the A’s. De Vries is ranked the No. 3 prospect in the sport by MLB.com.
"He’s going to be a very good major league player," Preller said.
The Padres also needed bats, and O’Hearn is having the best year of his career for the disappointing Orioles, hitting .283 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs while earning his first All-Star selection as an AL starter. His stellar work against right-handed pitching could boost the Padres, who rank 23rd in the majors in runs.
Although Luis Arráez is the Padres’ everyday first baseman, O’Hearn — who will be a free agent this winter — should ease the Padres’ woes at designated hitter, where they’ve also received substandard production.
Laureano, who has a $6.5 million team option for 2026, has split time between right field and left field this season while batting .290 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs. The Padres likely will use him in left, where Gavin Sheets and Bryce Johnson have been unable to produce standout numbers. O'Hearn also can play the outfield.
The Padres have lacked offensive production behind the plate all season long, with Elías Díaz and Martín Maldonado combining to be one of the majors' worst catching duos. Preller gave up two promising pitchers to land the respected Fermin, who should also be a defensive upgrade behind the plate.
Wagner, the son of Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, is batting .237 over 40 appearances this season for Toronto.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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