Former Padres Prospect Is Now A World Series Starter

The MLB landscape is littered with refugees from trades made by San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller, and on Monday night one of them will be starting for the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays with an opportunity to give the Brewers a commanding 3-0 lead in the October Classic. 

Robert Gasser is a relative unknown when it comes to postseason starters, but the Padres definitely know who he is. The left-hander was once a Padres prospect, but Preller traded him back in 2023 in the deal that brought reliever Josh Hader to San Diego. 

The deal made sense at the time, as the Padres were contenders, so it tracks with the typical Preller trade formula. But the Brewers believed in Gasser after they acquired him, and they worked to build up his pitch arsenal after Gasser had Tommy John surgery in 2024, based in part on Gasser pitching six scoreless innings in his MLB debut earlier that season. 

The Brewers also took a different approach with Gasser. They worked on his five-pitch arsenal, per MLB.com back in 2023, which included two fastballs, a slider, cutter and a changeup. Gasser now uses his cutter as a weapon to get swings and misses, and Milwaukee also worked on Gasser’s command. 

Milwaukee also gave the left-hander time to develop, which isn’t something Preller typically does with prospects. He does respect the talents of certain prospects, most notably catcher Ethan Salas, but those who don’t develop quickly or have setbacks are often gone when a trade opportunity presents itself.

The Brewers now believe in Gasser enough to start him in crucial postseason starts, and the Padres certainly know all about that part of his makeup. 

Gasser beat the Padres at Petco Park in the NLDS, and he went on to win another game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. He allowed just one run in those two outings, as Fernando Tatis Jr. posted a solo home run against Gasser. 

If the lefty can shut down the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night opposite Freddy Peralta, he’ll give the Brewers a commanding 3-0 lead that will almost certainly guarantee a championship.

This isn’t to condemn Preller for making the trade; that’s what he does, after all, and the Padres GM stays consistent with his philosophy. But Gasser is now a young, controllable starter with a bright future, and the Padres sure could use a couple of pitchers like that right now.