SAN DIEGO — Across the league, Tuesday brought an active if somewhat underwhelming trade deadline. Yet there was and still is no rule that trade season must wait until July.
In March, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller pulled off what remains the biggest pitching trade of 2024, acquiring Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. In May, Preller reeled in defending batting champion Luis Arraez from the Miami Marlins. Wednesday, the executive’s proactive approach continued to pay dividends: Cease threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Arraez drove in a run and scored another, and the Padres routed the Los Angeles Dodgers to win a season series against L.A. for the first time since 2010.
San Diego’s recent play encouraged Preller to make more aggressive purchases just before the trade deadline. But even before the Padres embarked on their recent 7-2 road trip, the general manager did not require much prompting.
“Not surprised, per usual,” infielder Jake Cronenworth said, describing his reaction to learning that All-Star closer Tanner Scott would join a team that already had All-Star closer Robert Suarez. “Obviously, I think everybody at this point knows (Preller) was gonna try to do something. I think not only are we acquiring a good player, but it’s a move that he makes to put the trust in us, knowing that the team is in a great spot and we’re moving in the right direction.”
The surging Padres are now 59-51, including 9-2 since the All-Star break and only 4 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West. Here are three takeaways from San Diego’s deadline.
A sudden superpen
Time will tell if the Padres substantially overpaid for Scott, a soon-to-be free agent; Jason Adam, a soon-to-be 34-year-old setup man; and Bryan Hoeing, a controllable righty who is expected to serve primarily as a long reliever. But the cost could soon be deemed worthwhile if San Diego qualifies for the 2024 postseason and makes a deep playoff run.
By obtaining Scott and Adam, Preller appears to have turned the Padres’ bullpen from a relative weakness to the kind of unit that can power October success.
“Especially the postseason, you’ve got additional rounds, less days,” Preller said. “I think it’s a little bit less right now where you can get two or three starters and ride those guys and two or three ’pen guys. You need a really deep 13-man staff. A lot of different ways to do it, but … you just need some guys that can get outs against big-time hitters.”
Until recently, the Padres had leaned on a trio of relievers — Suarez, rookie Jeremiah Estrada and 25-year-old Adrian Morejon — in high-leverage spots. Suarez will remain the primary closer, but now Scott can handle the occasional ninth inning while perhaps serving as Suarez’s primary setup man. Adam has already proven he is one of the better setup options in the game. Shifting Estrada and Morejon to lower-leverage work, at least on occasion, should strengthen the middle of the bullpen. In close games, manager Mike Shildt suddenly has no shortage of attractive options.
“You don’t want to get to the point where you’re only going to three guys … or even, we’re up 5-1 and we feel that pressure to go to those guys to hold on and get that win,” Preller said. “We just want to be able to give Mike and the group the opportunity to, like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna give somebody a day or two down, and we’re not gonna lose anything from a quality standpoint.’”
Both Scott and Adam have already indicated a willingness to do whatever is asked of them. Of course, each pitcher will still receive plenty of late-inning opportunities.
“I’m not even thinking about that,” Scott said when asked about the likelihood of losing save opportunities ahead of free agency. “I’d rather win a World Series and not think about that. I’m ready whenever the phone rings.”
Which version of Joe Musgrove will the Padres get once he returns to the rotation? (Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)
The rotation gamble
The Padres got a starter at the deadline, albeit one who was far from their first choice. Veteran lefty Martín Pérez, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, will make his San Diego debut Saturday. On paper, the visiting Colorado Rockies should provide a favorable matchup for a 33-year-old with a 5.20 ERA.
In the meantime, the Padres appear to be closing in on a post-deadline acquisition of sorts. Joe Musgrove, who threw two simulated innings Tuesday in Arizona, is expected to throw three innings in a rehab start Sunday with Low-A Lake Elsinore or Triple-A El Paso. Even if he needs one more rehab outing after that, he looks on track to rejoin the Padres’ rotation in the first half of August.
The Padres would be wise to practice cautious optimism. Musgrove’s injury history is well-documented, and even before he was sidelined in late May, he essentially acknowledged that he had been pitching at less than full health. Maybe he returns in a week or two and resembles his old effective self. Maybe he doesn’t come close. Meanwhile, Michael King is in uncharted territory as far as his major-league workload goes, and there’s still no telling when Yu Darvish will return.
Preller’s springtime trade for Cease now seems especially shrewd, but you could argue that the Padres needed another starter — one with greater upside than Pérez — more than they needed another top reliever after they acquired Adam. The Padres pivoted to seriously pursuing Scott after they had trouble lining up for a starter near the top of the market.
Landing White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, for example, would have required surrendering top prospect Leodalis De Vries and multiple others, possibly including Snelling and Mazur. Padres officials were a bit miffed by the seemingly light price the Dodgers paid for rental starter Jack Flaherty, although back problems may have depressed the right-hander’s market. (The Padres had considerable interest in Flaherty, but San Diego never got close to exchanging medical information with the Detroit Tigers.)
Still, will the Padres regret not using some of the prospect capital they spent on Scott to acquire, say, a mid-rotation starter? We could find out soon enough.
Prospect remnants
Over the past two days, Preller defended what was left in a farm system that now appears relatively barren. He cited pitching depth he said the Padres feel is better than what the industry perceives. In an interview on 97.3 The Fan, he mentioned Isaiah Lowe, Henry Baez and Francis Pena as prospects in which other teams had expressed increasing interest.
Preller has proven he can quickly replenish his system after supposedly depleting it. But, while he held on to De Vries and touted teenage catcher Ethan Salas, the rest of the cupboard might be emptier than ever. In their trades for Cease, Arraez, Adam and Scott, the Padres surrendered 12 prospects from Keith Law’s preseason top-20 list, as well as three other players.
In the end, it all could be worth it. The rest of the National League has been largely unimpressive. The Dodgers are vulnerable. The Padres have played their best baseball at a critical time of the season. And their remaining window to win might never be this open. A fascinating 52-game sprint awaits.
(Top photo of Jason Adam: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images)
