Padres GM A.J. Preller has been both buyer and seller at MLB's trade deadline. Here's what he's done.
History, they say, is our best teacher, but A.J. Preller has not exactly been in this position at Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.
Yes, his Padres teams have been under .500 (a lot).
Yes, they’ve underperformed (more often than not, quite frankly).
But not like this.
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Not even metrics that have scoffed at his roster construction over the years believe the Padres are this bad.
They entered the last off-day before the trade deadline with baseball’s fifth-best run differential.
They got a Big Four that rivals any team in the game.
Their pitching, save for some bullpen buckling in July, has held up.
Yet the Padres remain five games under .500, haven’t had a winning record since May 10 and are 6 ½ games out of a wild-card spot with Preller holding the best starting pitcher (Blake Snell) and the best reliever (Josh Hader) should he make them available.
No one can predict what Preller will do, but perhaps some hints lie in his course of actions over the previous years at the trade deadline.
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Here’s a look at what the Padres’ general manager and president of baseball operations has done over the years:
Marc Rzepczynski was acquired from Cleveland in 2015 for Abraham Almonte. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
2015
Strategy: Stand pat
Record at the deadline: 49-53, fourth in NL West and 7½ games out of a wild-card spot.
The deadline move(s): Traded OF Abraham Almonte to Indians for LHP Marc Rzepczynski.
Fallout: Matt Kemp coined Preller’s “Rockstar G.M.” moniker over the winter, and the Padres’ baseball ops chief had irons in quite a few different fires as his first roster finally penned its first winning month (13-11). Ultimately, Preller held on to Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel and James Shields at the deadline, added a bullpen arm and saw a .500 August give way to an 18-loss September. After the season, the Padres received draft pick compensation as Upton hit free agency, got four prospects (Manuel Margot, Javy Guerra, Logan Allen and Carlos Asuaje) from the Red Sox for Kimbrel and acquired Fernando Tatis Jr. when the Padres dumped what they could of Shields’ salary on the White Sox in June 2016.
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San Diego Padres pitcher Anderson Espinoza. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2016
Strategy: Sell
Record at the deadline: 45-60, fourth in NL West and 12 games out of a wild-card spot.
Tha deadline move(s): Traded RHP Fernando Rodney to Marlins for RHP Chris Paddack; Traded LHP Drew Pomeranz to Red Sox for RHP Anderson Espinoza; Traded OF Melvin Upton Jr. and cash to Blue Jays for RHP Hansel Rodriguez; Traded RHPs Andrew Cashner and Tayron Guerrero and cash to Marlins for 1B Josh Naylor, RHPs Carter Capps and Jarred Cosart; Traded OF Matt Kemp and cash to the Atlanta Braves for OF Hector Olivera.
Fallout: The sell-off actually began the previous month, when the Padres shipped Shields and a chunk of his contract to the White Sox for LHP Erik Johnson and a teenager who’d yet to play an inning of pro ball in Tatis. Pomeranz represented the Padres in the All-Star Game at Petco Park and then moved to Boston, fetching Espinoza, who immediately became the organization’s top pitching prospect. Preller also traded bad contracts with the Braves in the Kemp-Olivera deal and ate most of the money in the Upton trade. The Cashner deal fetched a top hitting prospect in Naylor in a swap that was originally much more impactful. Colin Rea also went to Miami with Luis Castillo headed to San Diego; Rea blew out his elbow in his Marlins debut and Preller undid that portion of the deal in early August. Weeks later, Preller was suspended 30 games for failing to properly disclose medical information in the Pomeranz trade with the Red Sox.
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Matt Strahm throws out Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 1, 2020. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2017
Strategy: Sell
Record at the deadline: 47-58, fourth in NL West and 12 ½ games out of a wild-card spot.
Tha deadline move(s): Traded RHPs Trevor Cahill and Brandon Maurer and LHP Ryan Buchter to Royals for LHPs Travis Wood and Matt Strahm, OF Esteury Ruiz and cash.
Fallout: The Padres’ rebuild was in full gear after spending $80 million spent on the 2016-17 international class, and Preller didn’t hesitate to move two effective relievers and the San Diegan (Cahill) with a solid first half in his rotation. The fruit of that trade helped complete last summer’s Josh Hader trade (Ruiz) and provided an arm (Strahm) that threw 203 innings over parts of four years. Wood was released that December after throwing the final 52 innings (6.71 ERA) of his career with the Padres.
The Padres acquired catcher Francisco Mejia for all-star closer Brad Hand. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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2018
Strategy: Sell
Record at the deadline: 42-67, fifth in NL West and 17 ½ games out of a wild-card spot.
The deadline move(s): Traded LHP Brad Hand and RHP Adam Cimber to the Indians for C Francisco Mejia.
Fallout: Hand’s All-Star campaign and solid rookie campaign from Cimber fetched a switch-hitter and a top prospect viewed then as the catcher of the future. Mejia did not pan out, but he helped complete the deal that brought LHP Blake Snell to the Padres in the winter before the 2021 season. The Padres are still searching for their catcher of the future.
San Diego Padres Taylor Trammell bunts during a spring training practice on Feb. 20, 2020. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2019
Strategy: Sell
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Record at the deadline: 50-57, 5th in NL West and 6½ games out of a wild-card spot.
The deadline move(s): Sold RHP Matt Wisler to Mariners; Traded RHP Phil Maton to Indians for international bonus money; Sold OF José Pirela to Phillies; Traded LHP Brad Wieck to Cubs for RHP Carl Edwards Jr.; Traded OF Franmil Reyes, LHP Logan Allen and OF Victor Nova to Indians in a three-team deal that netted OF Traylor Trammell from Reds.
Fallout: Tatis and Paddack broke camp with the team and the first year of the Manny Machado era started well enough, only to fizzle as the year dragged on. Reyes mashed 43 homers in parts of two seasons with the Padres, but he was not a good outfielder and Preller could not know that the DH would be in play the following year during the silly COVID season. Trammell was viewed as more dynamic prospect, but he was used in the deal for Austin Nola the following August.
Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger models the team’s City Connect uniforms. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres)
2020
Strategy: Buy
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Record at the deadline: 21-15, second in NL West, five games behind the Dodgers.
The deadline move(s): Traded OF Edward Olivares and a player to be named later (RHP Dylan Coleman) to Royals for RHP Trevor Rosenthal; Traded INF Hudson Potts and OF Jeisson Rosario to Red Sox for 1B Mitch Moreland; Traded RHP Cal Quantrill, 1B Josh Naylor, INFs Owen Miller and Gabriel Arias, C Austin Hedges and LHP Joey Cantillo to Indians for RHP Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen and a player to be named later (RHP Matt Waldron); Traded RHP Gerardo Reyes to Angels for C Jason Castro; Traded 1B Ty France, RHP Andres Muñoz, OF Taylor Trammell and C Luis Torrens to Mariners for C Austin Nola and RHPs Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla; Traded a player to be named later (RHP Matt Brash) to Mariners for RHP Taylor Williams.
Fallout: Finally competitive with the Dodgers and looking at an expanded playoff field during the COVID-19 season, the Padres emptied the farm in pursuit of their first postseason berth since 2006. Rosenthal was a win as the replacement for the injured Kirby Yates, but Clevinger started just five games, including an NLDS tilt against the Dodgers in which he walked off the mound with the elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Clevinger threw just 133 1/3 innings in two-plus years in San Diego. Nola remains in the organization, but never hit like he did as a late-blooming catcher with the Mariners and was optioned to Triple-A El Paso earlier this month as a 33-year-old. As for what Preller gave up, the numbers hurt the most — France, Naylor, Quantrill, Brash — as the Padres, lacking quality depth, flopped the following year in their attempt to string together two postseason berths.
Adam Frazier struggled after being dealt to the Padres in 2021. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2021
Strategy: Buy
Record at the deadline: 61-45, third in NL West (five games behind Giants) and in possession of second wild-card spot.
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The deadline move(s): Traded OF Jack Suwinski, INF Tucupita Marcano and RHP Michell Miliano to Pirates for 2B Adam Frazier; Traded RHP Anderson Espinoza to Cubs for OF Jake Marisnick; Traded RHP Mason Thompson and OF Jordy Barley to Nationals for RHP Daniel Hudson.
Fallout: This deadline was more notorious for what Preller didn’t get done. The Padres were in discussions for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner only to see those prizes go to the Dodgers. Preller had already acquired an All-Star in Frazier, but the Padres already had an All-Star second baseman (versatile Jake Cronenworth) and when Preller couldn’t find a taker for Eric Hosmer and any of his bloated contract, they were stuck with a player who both didn’t quite fit and saw his OPS plummet from .860 in the first half to .655 after the break. The Padres went on to lose 15 games in July and 19 games in September in finishing four games under .500 and missing the postseason.
Josh Bell, left, and Juan Soto attend a news conference with general manager A.J. Preller at Petco Park on Aug. 3, 2022. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2022
Strategy: Buy
Record at the deadline: 58-46, second in NL West and in possession of second wild-card spot.
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The deadline move(s): Traded LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Dinelson Lamet, OF Esteury Ruiz and RHP Robert Glasser to Brewers for LHP Josh Hader; Traded SS Victor Acosta to Reds for INF Brandon Drury; Traded LHP MacKenzie Gore, SS CJ Abrams, DH Luke Voit, OFs James Wood and Robert Hassell and RHP Jarlin Susana to Nationals for OF Juan Soto and 1B Josh Bell; Traded 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Max Ferguson, OF Corey Rosier and cash to Red Sox for LHP Jay Groome; Traded OF Brent Rooker to Royals for C Cam Gallagher.
Fallout: Like he did two years earlier, Preller emptied the farm — and some of his big-league cupboard — in pursuit of a playoff berth. This time, though, it was to reel in a generational talent in Soto and productive bats in Bell and Drury. Hosmer was originally also headed to Washington, but he exercised a limited no-trade clause to direct his ticket to Boston and force the Padres to send Voit to the Nationals. The idea was to get three playoff pushes out of Soto, Machado and Tatis as a three-headed monster, but Tatis’ comeback from a wrist injury was halted by a PED suspension that bled into the 2023 season. Soto, Bell and Drury all regressed after the trade, too, but the Padres still held onto a playoff spot, got hot in October and rode a dominant bullpen, led by Hader, to the NLCS.
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune
