Padres’ Three Deadline Trades Bolster Playoff Chances

On the strength of eight wins over nine games going into Monday, the Padres decided to buy at the trade deadline, executing three trades to reinforce their beleaguered pitching staff. 

San Diego added starter Casey Mize and utilityman Gage Workman from Detroit and Robbie Ray from the Giants. Additionally, the organization acquired reliever Hunter Stratton from Pittsburgh. 

“I think we knew that going [into the trade deadline] obviously on the starting pitching side, we’ve been hit by injuries and we knew that was an area that we look at as a spot that we wanted to try and bolster,” said Padres’ President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller in a meeting with the media over Zoom. “And I think it lined up, too, with what was out there on the market.”  

Starting pitching was a hot commodity this trade deadline, as teams like the Cubs and Dodgers acquired multiple starters to improve their chances of securing a playoff spot. Unlike the other two, the Padres are not in control of their playoff destiny. They came into Monday one game behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot. 

“There were a lot of starting pitcher possibilities,” said Preller. “[There] were some starters that are going to be free agents at the end of the year. So, overall need and what was on the market and specifically with their track record [of success].” 

Despite the Padres having arguably the weakest farm system in baseball, Preller indicated that other organizations covet the players in the system. 

“A period like the trade deadline, you have your internal ideas and your scouts and evaluators go out and give you a sense of what they think about the farm system. But when you get a chance to hear what others in the industry feel about your players, it gives you a very clear picture of how they see your organization and I think over the last couple of weeks it was very clear that we have a lot of guys that people have high interest in, both from the Major Leagues down to the Dominican Summer League. That’s always an interesting process, always a good process. When you have talent, it gives you the ability to have flexibility and options.” 

Of course, trades go both ways, and the Padres parted with a fair share of their minor league talent to acquire the four players they brought back. First, let’s look at what the Padres are acquiring. 

Trade #1

San Diego receives: LHP Robbie Ray

San Francisco receives: RHP Miguel Mendez (#4 preseason prospect), INF Joniel Hernandez

In the Padres’ first deal of the day, they acquired 2021 American League Cy Young winner Robbie Ray from the Giants. The 35-year-old has a 10-6 record this season with a 3.08 ERA. The advanced metrics aren’t as bullish (his FIP is 4.36 and his xFIP is 4.74) on his production this season, but he’s thrown 122.2 innings this year, something the Padres desperately need, and has long outperformed his peripherals. 

“Robbie has been one of the better left-handers in the league here for the last decade. And we just saw him the other night, so we got a firsthand look at what he brings to the table.” 

In the deal, the Padres are parting with their fourth overall prospect coming into the year. In our March write-up, we mentioned that Mendez will need to throw his changeup and slider for strikes more consistently while continuing to get swing-and-miss with his fastball, which can touch 100 mph. This has been a frustrating campaign for Mendez; he’s had two separate stints on the injured list – once in April with a neck strain and another at the end of June with a shoulder issue. Mendez was assigned to Fort Wayne last week to begin a rehab assignment. He threw a scoreless inning before departing. He’s tossed just 35.2 innings on the heels of the career-high 95 frames he tossed last season. Between San Antonio and Fort Wayne, he has a 4.79 ERA in 12 starts. 

Additionally, the Padres are shipping an interesting lottery ticket to the Bay Area in 17-year-old Joniel Hernandez. Hernandez was not ranked in our top-20 list, but had emerged as the second- or third-best position player in a system that doesn’t have many. The Cuban teenager hit .316/.439/.519 in 42 games before the trade. The Padres signed the shortstop for $1.4 million in January, the largest bonus they gave to any international amateur during this signing period. The athletic right-handed hitter has an explosive swing generates good bat speed. As Josh Norris noted for Baseball America, Hernandez’s 90th percentile exit velocity is a reason for optimism he can develop more power in the future. His future may ultimately move him off shortstop, but the bat should be the carrying tool as he comes stateside next year. 

Trade #2 

San Diego receives: RHP Casey Mize, UTIL Gage Workman.

Detroit receives: LHP Kash Mayfield (#2 prospect), LHP Jackson Wolf

In a trade that came just in front of the deadline, the Padres acquired right-hander Casey Mize and utilityman Gage Workman from the Tigers. San Diego sent out former first-rounder Kash Mayfield and veteran lefty Jackson Wolf to land them. 

“[In] Casey [Mize], you’re talking about a guy who was the first pick in the country. He’s been throwing really well for the Tigers as well. Both guys have a lot of experience; Casey also pitched in the playoffs with the Tigers. So those were all factors for us.” 

The 29-year-old Mize has started 16 games for the Tigers, going 4-6, with a 2.70 ERA. He has a sterling 1.97 BB/9, and he’s sporting an fWAR of 2.9 going into the season’s final two months. Like Ray, Mize is a pure rental, as he will reach free agency for the first time this winter. Mize’s secondary numbers generally support his sub-three ERA. 

In Workman, a 26-year-old who has spent most of the year in Triple-A hitting .305/.366/.502 – a slash-line 28 percent above the league average. He has a concerning 30% K-rate, but he has connected on 11 homers for the Mud Hens. Workman, who first reached the majors as a Rule 5 pick last year before he was returned to the Tigers organization, has seen time defensively at all three outfield positions and can play short and third base. He gives the Padres another left-handed hitting depth option who has two option years remaining. 

Trading for a player like Mize is never painless, and in the deal, the Padres parted with 2023 first-rounder Kash Mayfield, who will likely head to the Tigers’ Midwest League affiliate. Mayfield, 21, was our second-ranked prospect coming into the season. In our write-up, we mentioned concerns about his velocity (he sat at 90-92 mph in most starts), but with increased strength and flexibility, he could develop into more of a workhorse starter. 

In a spring training interview with John Conniff, Mayfield mentioned that his battle with a virus caused him to lose weight and led to some struggles with his mechanics in 2025. The left-hander seemed to suffer no ill effects this season in Fort Wayne. 

As Clark Farenthold mentioned in his May interview with the left-hander, Mayfield was able to dial his fastball up to 95 mph but has not been able to find it consistently. While the Oklahoma native will have to find more juice in his heater, his ability to reach his ceiling as a mid-rotation starter will hinge on whether his feel for a breaking ball develops enough. The now-former Padres prospect represented the organization in the Futures Game last month in Philadelphia. 

For the second time in his career, Jackson Wolf was traded by the Padres. The former West Virginia product was moved to Pittsburgh at the 2023 deadline in the much-maligned deal that brought back lefty Rich Hill and first baseman/designated hitter Ji-Man Choi back to San Diego. The Pirates had outrighted Wolf off the 40-player roster and traded him back to the Padres for infielder Kervin Pichardo less than one year later. 

Wolf, 27, has a 5-10 record with a 7.05 ERA in 24 games (17 starts) with the Chihuahuas. While he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning, Wolf tops out at 90 mph. He has one big-league outing to his credit, ironically against the Tigers, back in 2023. It remains to be seen whether Wolf will get another big league opportunity with Detroit. 

Trade #3

San Diego receives: RHP Hunter Stratton 

Pittsburgh receives: RHP Andrew Moore

The organization announced one minor trade after the deadline, as the Padres acquired right-hander Hunter Stratton, who lost his spot on the Pirates 40-man roster as the club made a flurry of deadline moves, in exchange for El Paso righty Andrew Moore. 

In Stratton, the Padres receive a reliever with big league experience. He’s appeared in 62 games over the last four seasons, including 36 in 2024 while he was with the Pirates. Stratton’s fastball averaged 96.8 mph in a brief, three-game stint this season with the Pirates. He also throws a cutter and a slider. He has a 3.31 ERA in 28 minor league games this season. He will likely join the El Paso staff when he is activated by the Padres. He has one option year left.

Andrew Moore will head to the Pittsburgh organization as a bit of a reclamation project. Acquired last year from Cincinnati in exchange for Connor Joe, Moore has premium stuff, but his 20-grade control is the reason he’s still in the minors. He struck out more than a third of the batters he faced between San Antonio and El Paso, but he walked almost 25% of the hitters he faced, making him virtually unplayable at the next level. Moore can touch 100 mph with his fastball, and the Pirates will be the fourth organization that tries to help him improve his command. 

With all of the moves in the system, Tuesday figures to be a very busy day for transactions.