Enhanced by Preller’s trade-deadline additions July 31, the Padres began this week as a near-certain playoff team and a renewed threat to earn the club’s first National League West title since 2006.
Post-deadline, the Padres had won 14 of 22 games going into Monday’s contest at Seattle.
Checking several boxes, Preller imported much-needed hitting power, strengthened the pitching staff and shored up the catching.
The new catcher, Freddy Fermin, may have staved off an attrition disaster at baseball’s most grueling position.
While Gavin Sheets’ reduced playing time may have hurt the offense, the reinforcements have weeded out a number of unfavorable individual matchups and reduced fatigue challenges of teammates.
Now, imagine Preller hadn’t made any trades.
Kiss the NL West race goodbye. The Dodgers would be too talented to threaten, even with their recent swoon. The wild-card playoff spot would still be in play, but those margins would be slimmer.
Preller’s top addition so far has been outfielder Ramon Laureano. Obtained from the Orioles with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn in return for six 2024 draftees, Laureano hit four home runs and slugged .563 in 87 plate appearances heading into Monday.
Left field is Laureano’s best position, but he also plays center well enough to allow the Padres to boost their power-challenged offense by having Sheets in left.
Laureano isn’t as good defensively as center fielder Jackson Merrill. But he has given manager Mike Shildt an appealing offensive option in starting eight games for Merrill, who twisted an ankle Aug. 15.
Providing a bonus Sunday, the 5-foot-10 Laureano denied the visiting Dodgers a grand slam with a well-timed snag above the right-center field wall at Petco Park.
At catcher, Fermin has logged 15 complete games since coming over from the Royals for two back-end starting pitchers. He has dealt well with learning the pitching staff, while also hitting better than his two predecessors, Elías Díaz and Martin Maldonado.
Díaz, 34, who platooned with Maldonado, 39, was at risk of wearing down deep in the marathon. Saturday, when he hit a two-run home run off Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, accounting for the offense’s only runs, Diaz was coming off four consecutive off days.
Closer Mason Miller, who’s a real-life version of fictional flamethrower Sidd Finch, has further jazzed up a Padres bullpen that led MLB in several categories before his arrival from the A’s.
Outside of allowing a two-run home run by the Diamondbacks’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who turned around his 103.9-mph heat, Miller has tossed eight scoreless innings. He has 16 strikeouts and four walks.
Like fellow Orioles transfer Laureano, the left-handed O’Hearn is having a career season.
O’Hearn is 6-for-10 with two home runs versus lefties, contrasting his poor .527 OPS in 54 plate appearances against right-handers.
Replacing the two young starting pitchers he dealt for Fermin, Preller got lefties Nelson Cortes and JP Sears from the Brewers and A’s, respectively.
Saturday, Cortes allowed the Dodgers one hit and one run in six innings, leading to a 5-1 victory. L.A. whiffed at five of his sweepers. On the other hand, the Giants’ lone victory in seven games against the Padres this month was jump started by three home runs off Cortes, who has a 3.00 ERA in four games.
Sears flunked his Padres debut, but after brushing up in Triple-A, he came back to hold the Giants to one run in six innings last week.
Preller didn’t have much money to spend at this year’s deadline. Trade partners agreed to pay down players’ salaries, resulting in a net addition of only $1.5 million to the payroll.
It wasn’t a rental frenzy, though.
With Laureano, 31, under contract next season for $6.5 million and both Fermin, 30, and Miller, 27, under control for several more years, Preller filled three prominent spots on the 2026 Padres and potentially two for beyond next season.
Is there any doubt he’d make more trades, given the chance?
Seamhead stuff
A scout who watched the six recent games between the Padres and Dodgers — four of them L.A. victories — lauded Sheets, O’Hearn and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
“It’s impressive how O’Hearn and Sheets are hitting left-handers this year,” he said. “Bogaerts’ re-emergence has been huge.”
Bogaerts, 32, ranks among MLB’s top shortstops in defensive metrics. His percentage of hard-hit balls is significantly higher than in his first two years with the Padres.
The scout said the Padres “still miss the elite version of Merrill.” Regarding Dodgers hitters, he said “a lot of ‘em are still struggling.”
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