The Padres have started clearing space, and that usually means A.J. Preller has something in mind.
On July 29, San Diego reinstated Jeremiah Estrada from the IL and designated Matt Waldron for assignment, a move that on the surface looked like a straightforward roster swap. Estrada was ready to return, Waldron was out of options and a decision had to be made. But with the trade deadline set for Aug. 3, the timing makes the move feel like more than routine maintenance.
Waldron’s season gave the Padres little reason to hesitate. The 29-year-old put up a 7.16 ERA, allowed 43 hits and seven home runs across 32 2/3 innings, and while the knuckleball kept him intriguing, it only carried him so far.
He was not going to start a postseason game, and he was not pushing into a high-leverage bullpen role. His value was mostly as a healthy arm who could cover multiple innings.
That matters because the Padres still have real questions in the rotation behind Michael King. Walker Buehler has a 5.13 ERA, Griffin Canning is 1-9 with a 6.97 ERA, and Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Lucas Giolito are on the IL. Waldron was never the answer, but taking him off the 40-man roster only sharpens the need for help.
That’s why the move stands out. San Diego opened a 40-man spot five days before the deadline, and teams don’t usually do that unless they expect a better use for it. Clubs planning to stay quiet generally don’t go out of their way to make room.
Estrada’s return also gives the bullpen another arm it can trust. Before landing on the IL with knee inflammation, he posted a 3.48 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. The Padres see him as another high-leverage option behind Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón and Jason Adam.
The Waldron move isn’t the only thing adding fuel to the deadline buzz. The Padres are also promoting top catching prospect Ethan Salas to Triple-A El Paso, putting him one step from the majors right as trade talks should be heating up.
Salas has been viewed as the Padres’ biggest trade chip not named Mason Miller. If Preller goes looking for a controllable starting pitcher who can change the shape of this season, Salas is the name every seller is going to ask about first.
The timing is impossible to ignore. Salas is 20, he’s reached Triple-A, and he can now be framed as a near-major-league centerpiece.
Preller has never shown much attachment to elite prospects when a deal makes sense, either. He traded Leo De Vries last summer in the blockbuster that brought Mason Miller and JP Sears to San Diego.
Waldron’s DFA is not itself a trade piece, but it fits the pattern. Salas moves up, Waldron comes off the 40-man, and the Padres’ biggest need still sits in plain view.
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Padres Just Pushed Ethan Salas Into A Much Bigger Moment
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A.J. Preller has already made clear that Salas belongs in the conversation about what comes next for the Padres, even as the front office weighs every possible avenue to improve the club now. The promotion only adds to the intrigue around a prospect who has climbed quickly, because the next step in his development is arriving just as San Diegos bigger decisions are starting to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
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That kind of coverage leaves plenty of room for different kinds of deals, from prospect-heavy returns to more immediate help or even larger multi-player swaps if the two sides line up. The Padres and Yankees have already shown they can navigate complicated trade talks, and San Diegos history with New York includes the seven-player Juan Soto deal that reshaped both organizations, so this is the sort of deadline link that bears watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
One Padres Contract Lesson Still Stings Because The Player Held Control
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San Diego has seen the downside before. Eric Hosmers clause became part of a messy trade path for the Padres, with the kind of player control that can force a front office to keep adjusting its plans when a move starts to come together. The Braves have taken the opposite approach by refusing to hand out that protection, and the contrast helps explain why these clauses still matter so much when a team is trying to navigate a deal that is never fully in its own hands. [Read more 🡒]