SAN DIEGO -- In the span of about seven hours Thursday before the Trade Deadline, the Padres swung five trades involving 22 players -- then added five of those players to their active roster before their 4-1 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night at Petco Park..
A whirlwind? Sure. But it’s not like Manny Machado wasn’t ready for it. He has been here since 2019. He’s seen general manager A.J. Preller overhaul the San Diego roster at the Deadline in ’20, ’22 and ’24. In some ways, this was par for the course.
“Welcome to the San Diego Padre Deadline,” Machado said with a laugh. “... I'm never shocked about anything we do at the Deadline, let's be honest.”
Trade acquisitions Mason Miller, JP Sears, Ramón Laureano, Ryan O'Hearn and Freddy Fermin arrived and were all active on Friday. Nestor Cortes, who remains on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain in his left elbow, will report to the club on Saturday.
With the arrival of that group comes the arrival of new expectations. Or, really, the same expectations. Just reinforced.
“We knew what we had as a team,” Machado said. “Obviously, getting these guys -- definitely an upgrade, definitely it'll help. It just sends a message that we're ready to win. We're going to go for it.”
Not that they weren’t already. But the Padres’ flawed pre-Deadline roster is no longer flawed. They addressed every one of those flaws, while adding Miller, one of the game’s most electric relievers, to what was already the sport’s top bullpen.
“I'm happy to be here,” Miller said. “Hoping to make that an even bigger strength.”
It appears, for now at least, that Miller will serve as another setup option for closer Robert Suarez, who nailed down his Major League-leading 31st save. The two of them followed seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball from a dominant Nick Pivetta. Quite a formula.
Miller said he’s not picky about when he pitches -- he just likes to pitch. Manager Mike Shildt wouldn’t get into the specifics of his plans for the new-look bullpen beyond saying they are “fluid.”
“We'll use them and deploy them like we have all year, and we've been pretty judicious with that, of putting them in good spots to succeed,” Shildt said.
Suarez and starter Dylan Cease had been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the week. The Padres were in talks about dealing Cease right up until the last minute. Preller let Cease know ahead of time that his name would probably come up in those discussions. Cease told Preller that wasn’t a problem -- “You don’t have to worry about me, I understand it’s part of everything,” Cease said.
But when the dust settled? And Cease was still a Padre? And Preller had added several players who would improve the roster markedly?
“We’ve got a stacked team now,” Cease said. “I’m grateful I get to be a part of it. … I love being in San Diego, and I want to be a part of something special here.”
The Padres entered play Friday trailing the Dodgers by three games in the National League West. They’ve said all season long that their objective was to win the division. For much of the year, that goal seemed a touch lofty. Suddenly, on Friday, it felt attainable.
The Padres are one of six teams that have separated themselves a bit in the NL playoff picture. Given the talent on their roster, they can reasonably feel they’re as much a contender as any of them.
“Try to go win it all -- that’s been our goal,” Machado said. “We know we’ve got to go through the Dodgers, meet up with them and go through them. So, hopefully, we go out there and compete for that division, then ultimately try to bring a championship to the city.”
That, of course, was Preller’s goal as he embarked on the trade spree. Laureano was the only newcomer in the starting lineup on Friday night. O’Hearn came off the bench to pinch-hit and was hit by a pitch. Fermin is expected to play Saturday. Sears could start next week in Arizona.
As with his bullpen, Shildt gave very little indication of his plans for his new-look roster. He wouldn’t commit to a playing time split behind the plate between Fermin and Elias Díaz. He didn’t say what O’Hearn’s fit would be or how Gavin Sheets’ role might change.
But they’re all pieces to the roster puzzle -- a roster constructed with one goal in mind.
“That's what every player plays for, is the chance to win a ring,” O’Hearn said. “Coming across the country to a team like this in a division race like this is exciting. One day at a time. But I think the sky's the limit for this team. I'm excited to see where I fit in.”