The Padres are heading toward the Aug. 3 trade deadline with a lot still unsettled, and one of the biggest unknowns is how a new ownership group might shape the club’s thinking.
San Diego was sold earlier this year to José E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, for a record $3.9 billion, but that sale has not become official yet.
That leaves president of baseball operations A.J. Preller working through a deadline that could look different from the usual Padres push.
Preller has built his reputation on being aggressive in July, and he’s spent years chasing star talent.
This time, the most important name in the conversation is Mason Miller.
Miller has been the subject of multiple trade rumors lately, and there’s a belief around the league that San Diego could move him this summer. If he does become available, the market should be loud. The New York Yankees have been mentioned the most, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have also come up as a possible fit because of the kind of prospect package they could put together.
But one rival National League scout who spoke to NJ.com says the Dodgers are a nonstarter for San Diego’s incoming ownership.
“If Miller’s out there, every contender is going to want him," he said. "The Dodgers have the pieces to get Miller with eight top 100 prospects, but I don’t think the Padres would trade him to their biggest rival. From what I’ve been told, the Padres’ new ownership group hates the Dodgers.”
That kind of feeling would land well with Padres fans, especially with the rivalry between San Diego and Los Angeles continuing to sharpen. It also lines up with the practical side of the decision.
Miller still has three more years left on his current contract, which would mean plenty of chances to see him pitch against the Padres if he were dealt inside the division. And sending him to the Dodgers would only make an already tough gap in the NL West look even wider.
For now, though, the final shape of San Diego’s deadline will come down to what happens on the field over the next two weeks. The players will have a say in whether the Padres lean one way or the other. If Preller gets his way, though, the club will be buying again, just as it has in most years during his tenure.
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Mookie Betts Just Put A Real End Date On His Career
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What makes the conversation more interesting now is the way Betts has started to frame the back end of his career. He is under contract through 2031, but he has also made it clear he wants to finish on his own terms, which adds a little more weight to every season left in Dodger blue. For a player who has spent so much of his career winning and setting the standard, the next chapter is starting to feel like it will be written on his schedule, not anyone elses. [Read more 🡒]