Padres go all-in at 2025 MLB trade deadline with major overhaul
SAN DIEGO (KYMA, KECY) - With the 2025 MLB trade deadline in the books, few teams made a bigger splash than the San Diego Padres.
A.J. Preller, President of Baseball Operations, doubled down on the club's postseason push, engineering a bold and aggressive slate of moves that included seven Major League additions and one of the deadline’s most talked-about blockbusters.
Headlining the action was San Diego's trade with the Oakland Athletics for All-Star closer Mason Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears.
The cost was steep: 18-year-old shortstop Leodalis De Vries, widely viewed as a future top prospect, plus right-handers Braden Nett, Henry Báez, and Eduarniel Nuñez.
Miller, who leads MLB in strikeout rate and had thrown over 11 straight scoreless innings heading into August, instantly strengthens what was already a dominant Padres bullpen.
But Preller didn't stop there. The Padres added veteran slugger Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano from Baltimore, along with catcher Freddy Fermin, utility infielder Will Wagner, and lefty reliever Nestor Cortés.
All while holding onto closer Robert Suárez and righty Dylan Cease both of whom had been the subject of trade rumors as the front office explored flipping arms for bats.
The strategy was clear: win now, even at the expense of future cornerstone talent. As The Athletic's Dennis Lin reported, San Diego had previously considered De Vries untouchable.
But the urgency to capitalize on a playoff window especially with the team currently sitting in a Wild Card spot pushed Preller to act.
"We think we've built a group that can make noise in October," Preller said. "Now it's time to see it on the field."
With just three games separating them from the division-leading Dodgers and the newly acquired arms ready to make an immediate impact, the Padres have made their intentions clear: The time is now.
