Padres Acquire Talent but Ship Out Several Top Prospects in Deadline Frenzy

If there is one thing you can say about Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller, it’s that he’s never boring. Wednesday was a perfect example. 

San Diego made five separate trades at the deadline, acquiring eight players while sending out 14 players to various organizations in a flurry of win-now moves that also brought over seven players with multiple years of control. 

“As a group, over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about having a few needs with the big league team,” said Preller on a call with media members. 

“Probably adding a couple of bats, addressing left field, the bench, looking at the catching spot and seeing if there was a possibility to change the mix there, and potentially looking at the rotation, whether from a depth standpoint – obviously, getting Michael King back hopefully soon, and getting Yu [Darvish] back pitching has been a big boost.

“Adding some depth to the rotation and then potentially adding some impact to the mound, which kind of goes back into [the philosophy] that you can never have enough impact arms. That was kind of the wish list over the last few weeks; I think we’ve taken a team that is in the position to play in the playoffs and a very good team, and hopefully rounded it out and given [Padres manager Mike Shildt] and the coaching staff an opportunity to do their thing.” 

In the process, San Diego moved six players who ranked in our preseason top-20, and many more prospects who cracked our individual top-30 lists from last off-season. Here’s a look at each of the trades. 

Trade #1: 

Padres receive: RHP Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears

Athletics receive: INF Leo De Vries (#1), RHP Henry Baez (#6), RHP Braden Nett (#8 prospect), RHP Eduarniel Nuñez (N/R)

What the Padres are getting: The Padres pulled off a stunner to start the day, acquiring former All-Star closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears in exchange for the best prospect to be traded at the deadline in the last three years, and more. Miller, 26, has seen his ERA balloon to 3.72 in 38 games as the Athletics’ closer this year. However, he still has a gaudy 39% strikeout rate, down just a tick from the 41% he punched out last year. His walk rate has risen from 8% to 11% but after a rough start to the season, he’s looked sharper as of late, making 11 straight scoreless outings. Miller averages 101 mph on his fastball and features a slider and change-up. While the Padres have retained incumbent closer Robert Suarez, Miller gives them another elite arm to place in the back of the bullpen for this year.

Miller was developed as a starter and has worked as a starter as recently as 2023, when he broke into the big leagues. While that option is off the table this season, he does possess the stuff to start. He is currently making the big league minimum and will be under team control through the end of the 2029 season. 

Sears will be coming over with Miller to provide additional rotation depth. The 29-year-old is an unspectacular but incredibly durable starting pitcher. He’s averaged 176 innings over the last two seasons, and has already tossed 111 innings this season. He has a 4.95 ERA with the advanced metrics essentially backing up that performance. He’s been a bit homer-prone (1.9 homers per nine innings) – something that hopefully will be neutralized a bit by pitching in Petco Park. Sears has a subpar 20% strikeout rate and sits in the low-90s with his fastball. Like Miller, he makes the league minimum and comes with control through the 2028 season. 

What the Padres are giving up: The Padres paid a steep price for the two controllable arms. Prized shortstop Leo De Vries, the club’s number one prospect and the third-best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, headlined the return to the Athletics. 

The 18-year-old shortstop hit .245/.357/.410 with eight homers. While the stat line doesn’t jump off the page, his offensive production was 17 percent above the league average. He had an impressive 14% walk-rate and a 19% K-rate – impressive results as the youngest player in High-A. 

“[Making adjustments] is the biggest difference from last year to this year,” De Vries told us last month. “Now you have to make adjustments every game, every at-bat, and sometimes in the at-bat to compete with the pitcher.” 

De Vries made his Athletics organizational debut on Thursday, going 1-for-4 with a single for the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. 

Righty Henry Baez was our sixth-ranked prospect in the system but likely would have ranked higher at the season’s end. Baez, 22, was in the midst of his finest season as a professional and established himself as a realistic big league pitching option. In 20 starts, Baez had a sterling 1.96 ERA in 96.2 innings for the Missions. He featured improved velocity on his fastball, frequently sitting in the 94-96 mph range. 

“[I am looking] to limit the base on balls,” Baez said in spring training. “I looked at that from last year, and know that I can improve. If I am limiting the walks, I am getting more outs.” 

“His competitive edge on the mound is incomparable to anybody,” said Missions’ manager Luke Montz last week. “He is the most competitive kid I have ever seen on the mound. The way he goes about his business, he’s a pro’s-pro.” 

Righty Braden Nett, an incredible find as an undrafted free agent in 2022, was our eighth-ranked prospect coming into the season. Nett was working at the Home Depot shortly before signing with the organization. Nett broke out last year in Fort Wayne and pitched well in San Antonio this season. In 17 starts for the Missions, Nett had a 3.39 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. The Missouri native has an impressive five- to six-pitch repertoire, including a fastball that can touch 98 mph and a kick-change he developed this season. 

“I brought up the idea of a kick-change after I saw a video of it on Instagram,” Nett told our Clark Fahrenthold last month. “It sort of clicked in my head, and I asked if I could play around with it. They said yes. I started messing around with it in the middle of spring, and it looked like an actual pitch. So I went with it.” 

Finally, the Padres included Eduarniel Nuñez in the deal, dealing an intriguing bullpen arm that the A’s will hope can contribute now to the bullpen. The 26-year-old signed with the Padres in the off-season as a minor league free agent out of the Cubs organization. Nuñez split the season between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso in-between four appearances with the big league club earlier this season. The slender righty is capable of touching 100 mph with his fastball, but has continued to fight his command. 

“I’ve seen two outings, and [the slider] reminds me of Dinelson Lamet,” said Chihuahuas manager Pete Zamora this month. “When he throws it correctly, it has the same angle and teeth as Dinelson’s. He throws it very hard, and when you pair it with the fastball it will look even nastier.”

Trade #2

Padres receive: C Freddy Fermin
Kansa City receives: RHP Ryan Bergert (#10) and RHP Stephen Kolek

It’s not news that the catcher position has been a cause of concern for the Padres this season. Elias Díaz and Martin Maldonado have both produced negative WAR this season while Luis Campusano has gone hitless and been limited to DH duties in his scattered big league opportunities. 

Coming into the fold is veteran Freddy Fermin from the Royals. The 30-year-old ranks in the 90th percentile in pop time, and his framing and blocking skills have been above-average this year. Maldonado (who was designated for assignment Wednesday night) and Díaz have both struggled as framers this season. 

Fermin has been better offensively than the Padres’ duo this season, but he’s still produced a significantly below-average wRC+ of 78. The new backstop is making the league minimum this season and will be under control for the next four seasons if the Padres retain him the entire time. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next season

The Padres have staked a lot on Fermin’s ability to step into a primary catching role, trading two big-league starters in Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to get him from Kansas City.

Bergert has already shown strong results in 11 games (seven starts) for the Padres, the former West Virginia product has a 2.78 ERA. 

“His fastball plays up,” said Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla in our April profile of Bergert’s first big league call-up. “The slider and sweeper have been good weapons, and he’s a strike-thrower.” 

After the Padres plucked Stephen Kolek from the Mariners’ system in the 2023 Rule 5 draft, he spent most of last season in the Padres’ bullpen last season before forearm tendonitis shut him down. This season, he was one of the final cuts in spring training. After starting the year in El Paso, Kolek has started 14 games for the Padres, pitching to a 4.18 ERA. 

The Royals’ pitching staff now includes four pitchers who have started a game for the Padres in recent seasons (Bergert, Kolek, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha). Rich Hill, who was acquired by the Padres at the 2023 deadline was recently DFA’ed by Kansas City. 

Trade #3

Padres receive: INF Will Wagner 

Blue Jays receive: C Brandon Valenzuela 

In a somewhat minor deal, the Padres acquired infielder Will Wagner from Toronto, flipping switch-hitting catcher Brandon Valenzuela in the deal. 

Wagner, 27, the Astros’ 18th-round pick in 2021, is moving at the trade deadline for the second straight year, as was part of the Yusei Kikuchi deal last July. He has 64 games of big league experience, appearing at first base, second base, and third base with a career .265/.336/.362 line. In the minors, he has a solid .839 OPS in over 1100 plate appearances. The son of newly-minted Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, will was optioned to El Paso Thursday night. He will likely be in the mix as a utility option in 2026 and beyond.

Valenzuela, who has been in the Padres’ organization since 2017, didn’t rank in our top-20 list this preseason, but he’s been a solid performer in the system. The 24-year-old was hitting .229/.313/.387 with a career-high 12 homers in Double-A this year. The switch-hitting catcher is also a solid receiver with an above-average arm behind the plate. 

“It’s been years and years of dedication to get to this point,” said Valenzuela in Clark Fahrenthold’s interview that ran earlier this week. “If you had seen me behind the plate my first few years, you’d say ‘who the hell is this guy?’ But it’s been the consistency in my work ethic. Even when I’m not practicing, it’s working mentally in the bullpen, noting pitches and how they bounce when they hit the dirt.” 

Valenzuela was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo in the Jays’ organization. 

Trade #4 

Padres receive: OF Ramon Laureano, 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn

Orioles receive: LHP Boston Bateman (#5), INF Cobb Hightower (#19 ), INF Brandon Butterworth (NR), RHP Tyson Neighbors (NR), 1B/OF Victor Figueroa (NR), RHP Tanner Smith (NR)

The Orioles opted for volume as they sent a pair of veteran hitters who should lengthen the Padres’ lineup and provide additional thump. 

O’Hearn, 32, made the American League All-Star team this season and was hitting .283/.374/.463 and to produce an fWAR of 2.4 this season. He is making $8 million this year and will be eligible for free agency after this season.

Laureano, 31, has been a solid offensive contributor in his first season in Baltimore, posting a .290/.355/.529 line with 15 homers and an fWAR of 2.3. He primarily played right field this season, but he has seen action in 29 games in left, his likely destination with the Padres. Laureano has a $6.5 million team option for next season, which seems very likely to be exercised. 

The Baltimore Banner reported that the Orioles sent an undisclosed cash amount back to San Diego as part of the trade.

The headliner going back to Baltimore is Boston Bateman, the Padres’ second-round pick last season out of high school. The 19-year-old 6-foot-8 lefty was our fifth-ranked prospect to start the season. In 15 games with the Storm, Bateman had a 4.08 ERA and a more encouraging 3.24 FIP.

Shortstop Cobb Hightower was a fast riser in last year’s draft, going from a relative unknown to the Padres’ third-round pick out of high school in North Carolina. This season, Hightower was hitting .239/.363/.314 for the Storm, but he’s swung the bat much better as of late. He will end his tenure with a five-game hitting streak. 

Coming into the year, the 20-year-old, who lost time to both hamstring and knee injuries this year, was looking to improve his approach with off-speed pitches. 

“The outside off-speed, I feel like I can see it up, but low and outside gives me a little bit of trouble,” said Hightower. “It’s just a matter of seeing it. We’ll be tracking bullpens, having machines set up on hard sliders, just seeing pitches, so I can recognize the movement and see where it ends up.” 

Brandon Butterworth, the Padres’ 12th-rounder last season out of North Carolina State, has been a solid contributor for the TinCaps. He’s shown surprising power has he’s hit .267/.327/.455, with 11 homers and 13 stolen bases while playing outstanding defense at second base. Recently, he added playing the outfield to his resume. 

“Butterworth is a sparkplug-type player,” TinCaps manager Lukas Ray told our John Conniff in the Summit City. “It’s a grindy at-bat, he’s going to foul off pitches and make a pitcher work. When he gets his pitch, he can drive it.” 

“He’s a reliable defender, he’s going to make all the plays, and throw in a few highlight ones as well.” 

Hard-throwing reliever Tyson Neighbors is a fast-moving reliever who features a fastball capable of touching the upper 90s and an excellent slider and curveball. Between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, the former fourth-rounder has a 1.85 ERA while punching out nearly 38% of the batters he’s faced. 

“All of his pitches are really good,” said Lukas Ray in his June interview with John Conniff. “It’s incredible to think that someone in his first full year of professional baseball can do that. He’s beating people in the zone and out of the zone.

“He can strike out anyone, at any time, in multiple ways.” 

First baseman Victor Figueroa has been one of the system’s great stories this year. Drafted in the 18th round last year out of junior college in Florida, he made his pro debut this summer in the ACL. In 11 games in the desert, he hit an absurd .605/.659/1.263 with five homers to force his way to Lake Elsinore. While his numbers with the Storm have not been as dominant, he’s produced a solid .831 OPS. 

Reliever Tanner Smith is the final piece headed back to Baltimore. The Massachusetts native was drafted in the 15th round last year out of Harvard University. In 17 games between the ACL and Lake Elsinore as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery, the righty has a 3.46 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 26 innings. 

Trade #5

Padres receive: LHP Nestor Cortes, SS Jorge Quintana

Brewers receive: OF Brandon Lockridge

In the final trade of the deadline, the Padres took on veteran lefty Nestor Cortes and a portion of his remaining $7.6 million salary from the Brewers to add potential starting depth and to acquire intriguing 18-year-old shortstop Jorge Quintana.  Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres will only be responsible for the major league minimum, roughly $240,000 of his $2.4 million salary. 

Cortes, 30, has been out since April with a left elbow flexor strain. He’s made four rehab starts and should be close to being activated. 

Quintana signed for $1.7 million in 2024 in a Brewers class that included top prospect Jesus Made. Quintana hit .264/.349/.403 in the ACL this season and earned a spot in Baseball America’s top prospects from the circuit. He will likely join Lake Elsinore before the end of the season. 

Brandon Lockridge is the sole piece headed to Milwaukee. He was acquired last year when the Padres shipped Enyel De Los Santos and his contract to the Yankees. The speedy Lockridge made the opening day roster for the Padres and delivered a paltry .519 OPS, but played excellent defense during his time in San Diego. He was likely to be designated for assignment in the wake of the rest of the day’s deals.

Final Thoughts: The Padres acquired a massive haul of players, most of whom have multiple years of control. While it’s a bit jarring to see top prospects leave the system, the big league roster is deeper and more formidable. 

The system lost a potential future star in De Vries, two current big league starters in Bergert and Kolek, and Baez and Nett are both already legitimate depth options. In return, they’ve added the much-needed offensive firepower to the big league roster, one of the best young relievers in the game, and the hope of an answer to the team’s glaring hole at catcher. They’ll also hope to develop Quintana into a future contributor or trade commodity.