A week ago, the Padres looked like a club drifting toward the wrong kind of July, with the deadline headed toward a sell-off. Then they ripped off six wins in seven games and changed the mood fast. Now San Diego sits just one game out of the final National League wild-card spot, and AJ Preller has the opening he was waiting for.
That shift is why the expectation around the Padres is no longer caution. It’s aggression. Over the next 48 hours, they’re expected to act like a team trying to turn itself into a real World Series threat.
The clearest need is starting pitching, and it’s not especially close. San Diego could use help there more than anywhere else, maybe even exclusively there.
The dream target would be Tarik Skubal, but the cost in prospect capital makes that tough to picture. And with the Padres’ farm system described as arguably the worst in the sport, plus uncertainty about how much payroll they can absorb, the front office may have to work a little lower on the board.
That’s where Freddy Peralta comes in. The New York Mets starter fits the deadline profile: on an expiring contract and not having a great season.
Peralta, an All-Star in 2025 with the Milwaukee Brewers, has posted a 4.99 ERA over 113.2 innings with the Mets. The season has gone sideways for him, and for the whole team, but the bet here is that a contender can get him right.
The Padres are willing to take that swing without giving up too much for a pending free agent.
What San Diego is not expected to do is move Mason Miller. The reliever has been brilliant, and the numbers are loud: a 0.79 ERA in 45.2 innings, 85 strikeouts, no home runs allowed and a perfect 28-for-28 in saves. Of course the Padres should listen if someone calls with an offer, but the more likely outcome is they keep him and use him in the kind of run they think this team can still make.
At the same time, almost everybody else in the bullpen is in play. That’s the cleanest way for Preller to patch the roster, especially with the farm system lacking the kind of impact pieces that make bigger trades easier.
Left-hander Adrian Morejon could draw the strongest interest of the group, though the Padres may decide they need both him and Miller if they’re serious about a deep October run. Right-hander Jeremiah Estrada and left-handers Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui are also among the names that could be moved.
By 3 p.m. PT on Monday, at least one reliever from the big league roster is expected to be wearing another uniform.
San Diego’s record doesn’t scream all-in, but the recent offensive surge changes the equation. The bats have been among the league’s best over the last month-plus, and with one or two starters added, the Padres could look very different in a hurry. Preller is expected to work the deadline hard, and by the time the dust settles, no National League team may have made more deals.
Whether that buys the Padres a true World Series run is the part nobody can know yet.
In Other News...
Mets Just Sent A Bigger Trade Deadline Message Than Fans Expected
The Mets continued to reshape their roster ahead of the trade deadline by moving reliever Huascar Brazobn, a pitcher who still had three seasons left on his contract, in a deal with the White Sox. In return, New York picked up two minor league arms, Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin, both prospects with limited major league experience.
It is the kind of swap that says plenty about where the club is headed right now. Brazobn had been part of the bullpen picture, but the Mets chose to turn a controllable arm into younger pitching depth as they keep working through deadline decisions, and the next moves will say even more about how aggressively they plan to retool. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Catching Move Could Signal Something Bigger
A catching swap at the deadline gave the Mets a little more pitching depth when they dealt Ben Rortvedt to the Dodgers for right-hander Chayce McDermott. Rortvedt had only briefly been back in the Dodgers organization, but the move fit a familiar pattern for Los Angeles, which has been forced to patch together its catching group because of injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
For New York, the deal is notable not just for the arm coming back, but for what it says about how the front office viewed the rest of the market. Rortvedts value to the Dodgers was rooted in his familiarity with the club and the stability he provided during last years injury-hit stretch, and moving him now suggests the Mets were willing to turn a useful depth piece into a return they felt better matched their needs down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Purge Is Already Hitting Familiar Names
The Mets' deadline reshuffling has already started to put a familiar feel to the churn, with the front office turning over pieces and bringing in prospect capital as the trade market heats up across the league. New York sent Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays and moved Huascar Brazobn to the Chicago White Sox, part of a broader stretch of deadline activity that saw clubs around baseball making their own swaps and roster changes before the clock runs out.
On the roster side, the Mets also made room by promoting Robert Stock and Bryce Conley while designating Kevin Herget and MJ Melendez for assignment. For a team trying to thread the needle between present depth and future value, these are the kinds of decisions that can reshape the bullpen and the organizational picture in a hurry, even if the final ripple from this purge is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]