SAN DIEGO — A.J. Preller has made a profession out of buying and selling high-end prospects, rebuilding farm programs and, for higher or worse, performing boldly.
It was apparent as soon as once more Tuesday within the closing hour of this yr’s commerce deadline, when the San Diego Padres’ famously aggressive basic supervisor swung a deal for Tanner Scott, the perfect reliever out there and somebody who had hardly even been linked to Preller’s Padres.
For Scott, a lights-out nearer who shall be a free agent at season’s finish, the Padres gave up two of their greatest pitching prospects in Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur, in addition to Graham Pauley, a extremely rated infielder. After they acquired Jason Adam, a high-leverage reliever with two-plus years of management, on Sunday they traded away Dylan Lesko, whom some publications thought to be the Padres’ greatest pitching prospect heading into the yr.
Practically three months earlier, they landed former batting champion Luis Arraez with a package deal constructed round Dillon Head, their greatest outfield prospect exterior of transformed shortstop Jackson Merrill.
“One factor we have by no means been terrified of — we’ll commerce gamers,” Preller stated. “I do not know philosophically if it is proper, flawed — we’ll commerce gamers, they’ll present up within the massive leagues, at the least our group is, and are going to do actually good issues. But when we get what we’re seeking to do, and it really works for us this yr and over the subsequent three to 5 years, we’re content material with that.
“Billy Beane used to inform me that after I would speak commerce with him. He would all the time inform me, ‘I’ve traded All-Stars, MVPs, Cy Younger winners, and 20 years later we have achieved numerous profitable and we’re nonetheless on this spot.’ We take it like we’ll commerce gifted gamers; that is a praise to our scouting group, truthfully, and our improvement group.”
The Padres had for weeks been seemed upon as a group that may chase beginning pitching forward of the deadline with Joe Musgrove navigating by means of his second elbow-related stint on the IL and Yu Darvish on the restricted listing for an indefinite period of time. However the Padres weren’t snug assembly the calls for on the high of the beginning pitching market, prompting Preller to chase his affect arm for the bullpen — an space that had seemingly already been fortified by the addition of Adam.
In Scott, the Padres obtained a 30-year-old lefty who posted a 1.18 ERA and accrued 18 saves in 44 appearances for the last-place Marlins, placing out 53 batters and issuing 27 walks in 45â…” innings. Amongst relievers with at the least 100 appearances because the begin of 2023, Scott ranks second in ERA (1.89), fourth in WHIP (0.99) and tenth in strikeout proportion (32.1).
In San Diego, Scott will slide into what now seems like a devastating again finish of the bullpen alongside Adam, Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon, with Suarez anticipated to stay the first nearer. The 5 of them had mixed to restrict opposing hitters to a .183/.260/.285 slash line.
“There’s numerous alternative ways to construct a employees,” stated Preller, who additionally added a depth starter within the closing minutes earlier than the deadline, buying struggling left-hander Martin Perez from the Pittsburgh Pirates. “However simply having a bunch that hopefully shortens the sport — we have seen some groups win championships that means. Hopefully that is an actual energy for us within the subsequent couple months.”
