A hectic MLB Trade Deadline heated up this morning with a West Coast blockbuster. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the San Diego Padres have acquired closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears from the Athletics.
Let’s break down the deal for both sides and hand out grades for each club.
San Diego Padres Grade: B-
This was quite the ambitious move for the Padres, who are clearly going all-in. Miller, only in his third season as a pro, is a trade deadline oddity. It’s rare to see players with more than four years of control dealt so soon, even closers. Miller has been electric since entering the league, notching a 3.16 ERA, 13.2 K/9 and 48 saves. At just 26 years old, there’s also the potential for the youngster to improve going forward.
When looking at San Diego’s roster, relief help wasn’t near the top of the list. The Padres own baseball’s lowest bullpen ERA this season (2.98). In addition, All-Star Robert Suarez leads the majors with 30 saves. Regardless, it does make some sense to double-down on the pen. Given what appears to be a pricey starting pitcher market, the Friars appear content to simply shorten games. That could pay major dividends during must-win matchups in September and October.
The other less notable piece headed to SoCal is JP Sears. Acquired as part of 2022’s Frankie Montas trade, the right-hander has been solid since joining the A’s. This season, he’s recorded a middling 4.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 97 strikeouts over 111.0 innings of work. However, a 4.01 xERA per Savant suggests he’s been the victim of bad luck. A shift from Sacramento to pitcher-friendly Petco Park certainly doesn’t hurt, either. For a San Diego club plagued by injuries to its rotation, landing a reliable innings eater was crucial.
Given what they received, it’s no wonder the Padres gave up a slew of talented prospects:
The haul is headlined by De Vries, MLB.com’s #3 overall prospect. The toolsy shortstop is only 18 years old, so we’re still a long ways from his big league debut. Still, in terms of opportunity cost, it’s quite the dent for San Diego’s farm system. The Padres also surrendered the organization’s #3 (Nett), #13 (Baéz) and #17 (Nunez) prospects. That’s quite the haul, even for a controllable hurler such as Miller. Ultimately, the success of this deal for the Friars will hinge on how the team performs down the stretch.
San Diego now has +2500 odds of winning the World Series on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Athletics Grade: A
Obviously, the headliner in this deal is De Vries. Whether or not the infielder fulfills his massive potential, it’s still excellent work by this Athletics front office. The A’s, 48-63, currently sit at the bottom of the AL West. In short, this team is going nowhere. Banking on a potential star blossoming makes far more sense than holding onto Miller. Even with four years of control remaining, notoriously cheap owner Mark Fisher is unlikely to keep a closer long-term.
What’s so great about this trade is that it fulfills simultaneous needs for the Athletics. On top of adding a blue-chip prospect, the A’s also addressed a weakness on the mound. This season, the major league club ranks last in the American League with 5.40 runs allowed per game. With the acquisition of Nett and Baéz, half of the team’s top ten prospects are pitchers. If a handful of those names reach the big leagues, this franchise will be poised for success entering its move to Las Vegas.
