RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesSAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 09: General manager A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres looks on before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres will get as much attention for what they did not do as they do for what they did do at the MLB Trade Deadline. The Padres held onto their top backend arms in the bullpen. Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon both remain members of the San Diego ‘pen and for that matter so did Jeremiah Estrada and Wandy Peralta. All four relievers were mentioned in trade speculation leading into the deadline and throughout the day.
The Padres did make a move to land left-hander Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants earlier in the day and then in the final minute landed right-hander Casey Mize and utility player Gage Workman from the Detroit Tigers. San Diego beat out several teams who were interested in adding Ray and Mize and they paid the price for it. For Ray, the Padres sent prospects Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez to the Giants. San Diego then sent prospects Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf to Detroit.
With the additions of Ray and Mize to the current rotation of Michael King and Walker Buehler the Padres are much improved. If Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta can return at the end of August as has been speculated recently, the San Diego rotation could be enough to put them firmly into the playoffs. Of course, Musgrove and Pivetta returning and performing at a level near what is expected of them is no guarantee. King, Pivetta, Musgrove, Ray and Mize in a five-man rotation that any team would have confidence in. Buehler could be a sixth starter to allow more time for Musgrove and Pivetta to recover from starts or he could move to the bullpen and provide a solid three to four innings in relief should he be needed in that role.
Workman will lengthen the bench for the Padres. He can play multiple infield positions and all three positions in the outfield. He turned into the left-handed bat San Diego was rumored to be seeking in the final hours before the deadline. Padres manager Craig Stammen has shown he wants to give veteran players DH days and days off and Workman will allow him to do so in a number of positions.
There is always a price to pay to make trades. Some will say sending 17-year-old Hernandez in the Ray deal was too much to pay and others will say Mayfield in the trade for Mize and Workman was certainly too much to pay. The reality is all of the prospects who were traded could turn into quality MLB players. The players added by Preller and the Padres, specifically the two starters, are good MLB players. There is no question the aging Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts only have a certain number of years remaining where their levels of production are what they are and San Diego needs to take its shots to win now. The trades completed today do that.
The Padres improved their team today and being just a game out of playoff position, they have also improved their chances of making the postseason. According to FanDuel Sportsbook , the current odds for San Diego to make the playoffs is +118. With Ray and Mize in the rotation and the potential return of Musgrove and Pivetta, combined with King and Buehler San Diego can revert back to a normal rotation approach and the arms in the ‘pen will be fresher and more effective in their run up to and ideally into the playoffs. For the Padres, it was a winning deadline that the Friar Faithful should be happy with.
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