The 2025 Trade Deadline may as well have been D-Day for the San Diego Padres front office. In total, 22 players were moved on the day of the deadline.
Padres GM AJ Preller is used to getting creative every year when it comes to trading, and this year was no different. In 2024, he flexed his extremely aggressive trade strategy, selling off much of the Padres’ farm for a new bullpen. However, last year was just a warm-up; 2025 was the raw deal.
Preller certainly had his work cut out for him. He had to make extremely specific acquisitions to flesh out the club’s roster. The Friars needed three things: pitching, a lineup depth and a new catcher. When all was said and done and the dust had cleared, those gaps were certainly filled.
What The Padres Gained
The Padres gained RHP Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears from the Athletics. From the Kansas City Royals, the Padres received Catcher Freddy Fermin. The Padres got OF Ryan O’Hearn and OF Ramon Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles. From the Toronto Blue Jays, the Padres got IF Will Wagner. Finally, from the Milwaukee Brewers, the Padres received LHP Nestor Cortes and shortstop Jorge Quintana.
What The Padres Lost
Leaving the organization were RHP Ryan Bergert, RHP Stephen Kolek and OF Brandon Lockridge. In addition, the Padres once again sacrificed a large portion of their prospect farm. This included SS Leodalis De Vries (Padres’ No. 1 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall), Braden Nett (No. 3), RHP Henry Baez (No. 13), LHP Boston Bateman (No. 6), IF Cobb Hightower (No. 8), RHP Eduarniel Núñez (No. 17), RHP Tyson Neighbors (No. 16), IF Brandon Butterworth, IF/OF Victor Figueroa, RHP Tanner Smith and catcher Brandon Valenzuela.
The New Padres Offense
Offensively, the Padres rank amongst some of the worst in baseball in terms of offensive production. This is due to a multitude of factors, but one of the biggest ones, and one that Preller could address, was the gaping hole in the back half of the lineup. Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano, and to some extent, Freddy Fermin are the team’s solution to this looming issue.
O’Hearn is currently on pace to have a career-best season with the O’s with 13 homers and 43 RBI so far. Not unlike the Padres utility man Gavin Sheets, O’Hearn is a DH but is also capable of playing first base. His addition to the Padres brings the much-needed lineup depth the team has been searching for.
Laureano is currently slashing .290/.355/.529 on the season. However, his true value lies in his defensive versatility. Laurenano can play every position in the outfield, and with the Padres in desperate need of a full-time left fielder, it would appear he’s exactly what the doctor ordered.
Catcher Freddy Fermin is known for his immaculate work ethic and strong defensive capabilities behind the plate. He is currently at a 1.3 dWAR according to Baseball Reference. Fermin is also top 10 in the majors for pop-time to second base.
O’Hearn is a free agent after this season, while Laureano has a team option for 2026. Fermin has four more years of arbitration eligibility before he becomes a free agent in 2030.
Will Wagner was optioned to Triple-A El Paso after his trade. Quintana is now the organization’s No.4 prospect.
The New Padres Bullpen
The Padres’ Bullpen already ranks the best in the majors, but the Padres just made them that much better. It came as an absolute shock to many when AJ Preller decided to trade the Padres’ No.1 overall prospect Leo De Vries for some fresh hands from the A’s, but fans clearly read the atmosphere after things were all said and done.
The Absolute flamethrower that is Mason Miller was the A’s closing ace, clocking pitches as fast as 104 mph. He made an immediate splash, making his debut in 2024 and finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Miller will likely be sharing closing responsibilities with fellow flamethrower Robert Suarez, granting him a much-needed break during certain high-leverage situations.
Likely sneaking into the backend of the starting rotation is lefty JP Sears. Across 111 innings in 22 starts, Sears has gone 7–9 with a 4.95 ERA in 2025. It’s unknown when Sears will debut in brown and gold; however, we know he’s unlikely to appear during the Padres’ rematch series against the St. Louis Cardinals at home.
Left-hander Nestor Cortes has spent most of this season on the injured list with a flexor strain in his left elbow; however, he was due to return soon for the Brew-crew. Last season with the Yankees, he held a 3.77 ERA across 31 starts.
Sears is under control through the 2028 season, and Miller till 2029. Cortes is a free agent next season.
On The Horizon
The Swinging Friars lineup for the first game of the three-game series against the Cards looks like this:
(Padres are facing a lefty, and so O’Hearn is scratched, Fermin may come in as an offensive substitution for Diaz)
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- Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
- Luis Arraez (L) 1B
- Manny Machado (R) 3B
- Jackson Merrill (L) CF
- Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
- Ramón Laureano (R) LF
- Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B
- Jose Iglesias (R) DH
- Elias Díaz (R) C
Already, the lineup feels different with the addition of Laurenano. It would appear Preller’s plan worked, at least on paper. Now all that’s left to see is if it paid off. Given how electric the post-All-Star break, the Padres were last season. It’s not a bad idea to bet on Preller right now.
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