The San Diego Padres traded shortstop Leo De Vries and three other prospects to acquire All-Star closer Mason Miller from the Athletics at the trade deadline last season.
The San Diego Padres don’t shy away from trading prospects if it means improving the big-league team that has championship aspirations.
That routine was no different at last year’s trade deadline, when general manager A.J. Preller traded the top prospect in baseball and three others to the Athletics in exchange for All-Star closer Mason Miller.
Preller and the Padres dealt shortstop Leo De Vries, who is now Major League Baseball’s No. 2 prospect, as well as right-handed pitching prospects Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez to acquire Miller and left-hander JP Sears on July 31 when the team was 60-49.
Miller was lights-out for San Diego. He appeared in 22 games (23.1 innings) and posting a 0.77 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 550 ERA+, 1.12 FIP and two saves as he was still behind closer Robert Suarez.
The Padres went just 30-23 in the final 53 games, but it was still good enough to finish the season 90-72 and earn a wild card spot. While San Diego lost in three games to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series, Miller was just as electric as he was in the regular season.
The two-time All-Star tossed 2.2 innings and striking out eight of the nine batters he faced, producing a minus-1.74 FIP, which is unheard of. And based on how he’s been as elite as can be this season through 38 games, he was definitely worth trading the top prospect in the sport.
While Miller has been sitting people down at an insane rate, De Vries has continued to grow into a special player. The 19-year-old put on a show in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, and some would say he stole the show.
De Vries led off with a single to left field before swiping second and third base quickly and scoring on a groundout to give the American League an early lead.
“I said I was going to steal second and third because I could see the pitches from the catcher,” De Vries said through a translator after the game.
He struck out in his second at-bat and was replaced in the fourth inning.
There can be immense pressure for a kid that has sky-high expectations, especially considering who he was traded for, but he has never felt pressure to be the next face of the Athletics franchise according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
“I've never felt any pressure,” said De Vries. “This is about playing the game. This is what we do. We're professionals. What happens off the field, we don't control. We have to go out, have fun, play the game. That's what we can control.”
In 75 games with Double-A Midland, De Vries is slashing .286/.376/.444 (.821 OPS) with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, 39 RBI and 31 stolen bases.
He is one of just three teenagers (Jesus Made, Ethan Salas) playing in Double-A right now; this trade seems like a win-win for both clubs as it stands, but the Athletics are surely missing having Miller at the back end of the bullpen.
