The San Diego Padres went wild at the MLB trade deadline, with A.J. Preller putting together a masterclass in how to move the needle. Was there risk involved? Oh yes. The Padres sold the farm, almost literally. So many top prospects were dealt last week, including MLB's No. 3 overall prospect, 18-year-old SS Leo De Vries.
The haul was... robust. Through a series of trades, San Diego brought back RHP Mason Miller, LHP J.P. Sears, LHP Nestor Cortés Jr., C Freddy Fermín, 1B Ryan O'Hearn and OF Ramón Laureano. San Diego gave up a potentially generational prospect in De Vries — plus a lot more — in the process of addessing just about every major need on the roster.
While the risk may outweigh the reward in the end, the Padres are all-in on the 2025 campaign. A World Series victory would wipe away all doubts. And, while Preller did give up a lot, he did so without completely overwhelming the Padres' payroll. With ownership in flux and limited resources at his disposal, Preller made sweeping improvements without running up the tab. It's a mighty impressive feat.
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AJ Preller pulled off Padres' trade deadline without sacrificing money
San Diego's farm system is disconcertingly thin now, which is a real concern. But their cap sheet is roughly the same. Miller, Sears and Fermín are all on minimum pre-arbitration contracts. O'Hearn, Laureano and Cortés are not — but they basically are for San Diego's purposes, at least this season.
Baltimore sent roughly $3.2 million in cash considerations to the Padres in the O'Hearn and Laureano trade. Milwaukee sent about $2.2 million in the Cortés trade, as outlined by MLB Trade Rumors. That pays all of those three contracts down to the league minimum for the remainder of the season. Cortés and O'Hearrn are both free agents in a few months; Laureano has a team-friendly club option worth $6.5 million.
So, while the Padres are indeed a great deal lighter when it comes to prospect capital, Preller's wave of blockbuster trades barely made a dent in the cap sheet. That is no small feat for a GM working under tight ownership restraints. More small-market GMs should look to Preller for inspiration.
Padres are a proper World Series threat after cost-savvy trade deadline
Top to bottom, San Diego has one of the deepest and most talented rosters in MLB right now. It's easy enough to peg the Dodgers as favorites to win the National League again, but L.A. has been on a skid for weeks now. The Dodgers are banged up and, quietly, pretty old. Mookie Betts, once an MVP candidate, is now a below-average hitter.
Philly, New York and other teams will invariably make their case in the months to come, but San Diego was easily the toughest out for L.A. in the 2024 playoffs. Now that the entire core is back, with significant upgrades on the margins. The Padres' lineup has precious few holes and the bullpen is basically superhuman. This is a team built to go deep into October — and built rather impressively on a budget.