The San Diego Padres were one of the league's most mysterious teams heading into the trade deadline but emerged as buyers.
The San Diego Padres were one of teams that were on the fine line between buying and selling and it was a mystery whether they had done enough to become buyers.
General manager A.J. Preller made it known that he wanted to be buying at the trade deadline but he needed ample reason to partake in the harsh buyer’s market and given how the Padres had a great first month, horrid second and third months and solid last month leading up to the Aug. 3 deadline, it was unclear what Preller was going to do.
Sell off your two best relievers in Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon? Trade one for starting pitching? Keep both and go all in? Going into the deadline, the Padres were 58-54 and one game back from the final National League wild card spot.
A hot two-week stretch put San Diego back in the mix and it was enough to convince Preller to buy some much-needed starting pitching – and they did so without moving Miller or Morejon.
The Padres first acquired left-handed starter Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for prospect right-hander Miguel Mendez (SD No. 4 prospect, now Giants No. 13) and prospect infielder Joniel Hernandez (SD No. 9, now Giants No. 21).
Then, at the 6 p.m. EDT buzzer, the Padres made a deal to bring in Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize. Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, is finally breaking out despite spending some time on the injured list.
Mize made his Padres debut Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks and while he did get shelled for eight runs over 3.1 innings of work, he came into the matchup with a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85 strikeouts to 19 walks through 16 starts (86.2 innings).
For doing great work in the final hours of the deadline, the Padres were tabbed as one of the winners of the trade deadline by ESPN’s David Schoenfield.
“The Padres, despite one of the weakest farm systems in the majors, managed to acquire Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to fix a rotation that had been starting JP Sears, Kyle Hart and reliever Bradgley Rodriguez,” Schoenfield wrote Monday.
“They kept Mason Miller. They kept Adrian Morejon. They didn't get a bat, so they'll have to pitch their way into a wild-card spot, but with that bullpen, this Padres team is one you wouldn't want to face in the playoffs if they make it.”
It’s going to be a race to the finish line for sure, but Preller gave his team the best chance possible to sneak into the postseason.
