When the trade deadline approaches, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller is typically on the hunt for a big deal. And why not? Preller has developed a minor league system, typically ranked in the top five in MLB, that can attract other teams looking to sign stars. Over the past four deadlines, the Padres have acquired superstars like Juan Soto and Josh Hader and solid supporting players like Josh Bell and Brandon Drury.
San Diego took a different approach to its moves this season, but it’s now the hottest team in baseball, with a 16-4 record since the All-Star break and its sights firmly set on the postseason heading into Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Relievers were the name of the game for the Padres at the deadline, as they acquired right-hander Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Bryan Hoeing, as well as the best reliever available, left-hander Tanner Scott, from the Miami Marlins.
The Padres already had a respectable bullpen before those moves, with left-handers Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejon having career years along with newcomer Jeremiah Estrada. The Padres are led in the backfield by electric closer Robert Suarez.
The additions of Adam, Hoeing and Scott provide a level of depth that not many teams in baseball can match, and that sets San Diego up well for a postseason run.
During the playoffs, especially over the past 20 years, bullpens are critical in determining a team’s success or failure. The starting pitching restriction shortens in October, leaving the team’s relief core to handle more outs, and high-leverage situations often arise early in games.
Having Adam, Scott and Suarez to cover the seventh, eighth and ninth innings is a luxury any team would love to have in the postseason, and it will be an advantage for San Diego if it makes the postseason. With two months to allow Morejon, Matsui, Estrada and Hoeing to gel, the Padres’ bullpen could be the group that propels San Diego into the postseason.
San Diego has been trying to stay afloat while figuring out what its rotation will look like the rest of the way, following Joe Musgrove’s injury, Yu Darvish’s absence and knuckleballer Matt Waldron’s recent struggles. The team even acquired veteran Martin Perez as additional depth.
If the Padres, who are currently tied for the first NL wild-card spot, make the postseason, one has to imagine manager Mike Shildt will take full advantage of his bullpen depth in an attempt to take pressure off the rotation.
For the first time in a long time, the Padres left their core of position players intact at the deadline. And a lot of that has to do with the reinforcements that were already there. Over the past month, the Padres have the sixth-best offense in baseball in terms of runs scored. Manny Machado looks healthy, Xander Boegarts is finally playing like the player the Padres hoped he would be, Jurickson Profar has continued to have a career year, and rookie Jackson Merrill has carried the team offensively in recent weeks. Not to mention, Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to return before the end of the season.
With San Diego scoring at its current rate and the ability to shorten games with its bullpen, the Padres become a tough team to beat not only in the postseason but also the rest of the regular season.
The Padres have had several versions of their team over the past few years, and while this version has fewer top-tier names than in years past, it may be a done deal for October. San Diego is clearly playing with confidence lately, and sometimes that’s all a team needs to make a sustained push toward the postseason.
