San Diego Padres Win Trade Deadline

With the baseball playoffs expanded to six teams per league, the action was fast and furious up to the minute the trade deadline hit at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Tuesday.

When the dust cleared, the San Diego Padres were the clear winners, cementing their position as a likely wild-card team but also establishing themselves as long shots to do to the Los Angeles Dodgers what the New York Giants did to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951.

It won’t be easy for San Diego, which entered play Tuesday with a record of 58-46, second in the National League West but 12 games behind the Dodgers. The Padres are also second in the wild-card race and would play a best-of-three series against the Braves in Atlanta if the season ended immediately.

After two days of frenetic trading, the revitalized Padres might not care. They added sluggers Juan Soto and Josh Bell, obtained from Washington in an eight-man swap; versatile Brandon Drury, a jack-of-all-trades with 20 homers so far; and crack left-handed closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers.

With long-sidelined slugger Fernando Tatís already taking batting practice and Manny Machado having an MVP-caliber year, San Diego’s firepower might be the best in the Senior Circuit.

Soto and Hader were among five 2022 All-Stars traded in recent days, along with Luis Castillo (Cincinnati to Seattle), Jorge Lopez (Baltimore to Minnesota), and Andrew Benintendi (Kansas City to the New York Yankees).

Here’s a quick look at how teams fared:

Winners

1. San Diego – While the Dodgers could be out of reach, the Padres just might be potent enough to pursue the first world championship in team history. San Diego won pennants in 1984 and 1998 but won only a single World Series game. Their roster now is much more formidable after the additions of Soto, Drury, and the switch-hitting Bell. Soto is under team control through the 2024 campaign, though Bell can test free agency this fall.

2. Seattle – No team in professional sports has missed making the playoffs for as long as the Mariners, who last appeared in 2001. Also the only one of the 30 clubs that never won a pennant, the M’s pulled a prize from the competition in landing Castillo, a No. 1 starter, from the Reds before the last-minute pressure of deadline day. Seattle later got catcher Curt Casali and pitcher Matt Boyd from San Francisco and signed versatile Jonathan Villar.

3. Philadelphia – It’s been a roller-coaster season for the Phils, who fired manager Joe Girardi after a rough start but rebounded to become a factor in the wild-card chase even without reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper. GM Dave Dombrowski, hoping his deals will yield the team’s first playoff berth since 2011, added starter Noah Syndergaard and closer David Robertson on deadline day and filled a long-time center-field void with Brandon Marsh. The Phillies now rank fourth in payroll at $242,684,851 but won’t mind paying the luxury tax if they play deep into October.

4. New York Yankees – In an 11th-hour swap, Brian Cashman stunned the baseball world by acquiring Harrison Bader, a speedy center-fielder, from the St. Louis Cardinals in a trade that sent Jordan Montgomery across league lines. That will allow Aaron Judge to return to right and concentrate on his prodigious power hitting. Bader joins another newcomer, Andrew Benintendi, in a revamped New York outfield. The Yankees also bolstered their pitching staff by adding starter Frankie Montas and reliever Scott Effross. With a 12-game lead in the American League East, the team is obviously looking ahead to potential October matchups.

5. Houston – Like the Yankees, the Astros weren’t content to rest on the laurels of a 12-game lead. They landed Trey Mancini, a solid first baseman, in a three-team trade and then sent surplus starter Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta for lefty closer Will Smith, a 2021 postseason standout who is struggling this season. At age 73, Dusty Baker is still looking to win a World Series as a manager.

6. St. Louis – In a tight race for the NL Central crown, the Cards needed pitching help and got it, landing Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery in separate swaps. They trailed Milwaukee by three games when play started Tuesday but refused to rip out the heart of their farm system in a deal that would give them three seasons of Juan Soto. That was a win for the Cardinals too.

7. Atlanta – With Adam Duvall out for the year with a fractured wrist and Ozzie Albies still out with a foot fracture, the Braves thought about trading for Ian Happ, Whit Merrifield, or Joc Pederson. They wound up with infielder Ehire Adrianza, who played for them last year; switch-hitting outfielder Robbie Grossman, who handles lefty pitchers well; Raisel Iglesias, a quality closer who replaces traded reliever Will Smith; and Jake Odorizzi, a veteran starter who can spell rookie sensation Spencer Strider down the stretch. Not a bad haul for Alex Anthopoulos, whose team is in contention for its fifth straight NL East title.

8. Minnesota – The Twins started Deadline Day in a three-team AL Central dogfight with the surprising Cleveland Guardians, one game behind, and veteran Chicago White Sox, a .500 team at 51-51 but only three games out of first place. Then Minnesota mined other rosters for talent, landing starting pitcher Tyler Mahle and reliever Michael Fullmer.

9. Toronto – Although the Blue Jays lead the American League wild-card race, they’re a dozen lengths behind the Yankees. That didn’t stop them from improving, adding versatile Whit Merrifield, a speed merchant, from payroll-paring Kansas City and Mitchell White, a young starting pitcher, from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Honorable mention: Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, New York Mets.

Losers

1. Oakland – The once-proud A’s continue serving as a feeder line to richer teams. Buried deep in the bowels of the standings, Oakland opened Tuesday at 39-65, 28 games behind Houston in the AL West and 16 games removed from any wild-card hopes. Then they dumped more of their veteran stars, sending starting pitcher Frankie Montas to the Yankees. That followed spring trades of Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, among others. Not a good way to win fans and influence people.

2. Washington – The Nationals could have kept Soto, their main attraction, through the 2024 season. Instead, his departure was the last nail in the coffin that contains the remains of the 2019 world champions. Sending Soto and Bell to San Diego for six players is exactly the kind of deal the Miami Marlins made in unloading future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera in a six-man swap with Detroit after the 2007 campaign. GM Mike Rizzo better hope some of the kids he acquired become decent major-leaguers. Washington’s .337 “winning percentage” is about to get worse.

3. Chicago Cubs – In a big-city market with passionate fans who don’t want to wait 108 years for their next world title, the Cubs could have commanded a solid return for players like Ian Happ, Willson Contreras, and Marcus Stroman. Instead, they kept them all, deciding to move such bullpen pieces a David Robertson and Mychal Givens. Standing pat doesn’t work on a team that’s 15½ games out in early August.

4. Baltimore – Just when the O’s are starting to play better ball, they start to break up the ballclub. Gone are inspirational leader Trey Mancini, who survived a cancer bout, and Jorge Lopez, the All-Star closer. Also gone is any hope of reaching the playoffs – even with a current record one game over .500.

5. Miami – If not for the Nationals, the Marlins would be fish bait for bigger prey. Their 47-56 record leaves them 18½ games behind the front-running Mets but their chance to trade quality for quantity disappeared when they decided to keep pitcher Pablo Lopez and slugger Jorge Soler, their top trade pieces. With dwindling attendance a big issue, a shakeup couldn’t have hurt.

6. Boston – Plodding along at 52-52, the Red Sox found themselves at the bottom of the AL East despite a $207,006,160 payroll that ranked sixth in the majors. The Sox have a plethora of players with expiring contracts or opt-out clauses but decided to keep them for a wild-card push that seems more fanciful than probable (the team is three games behind in the wild-card chase but has considerable competition). Xavier Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, and Nathan Eovaldi are still wearing red socks but they have new teammates in Eric Hosmer, Tommy Pham, and Reese McGuire – no one to get excited about.

7. San Francisco – After leading the majors with 107 wins last season, the Giants have had a giant comedown. They’re a game under .500, third in the NL West with a 51-52 mark that leaves them 18½ games behind the arch-rival Dodgers. Yet they kept Joc Pederson, whose one-year, $6 million deal is expiring, and Carlos Rodón, among other vets whose trades could have helped an old team get younger.

8. Los Angeles Angels – With Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon sidelined by injury, the Halos were reluctant to trade their biggest star, Shohei Ohtani. They could have made a mega-deal similar to the prospect haul the Nationals got for Juan Soto and Josh Bell but passed on the opportunity, mainly because owner Arte Moreno vetoed the idea. Instead, the Angels made a weak team worse by unloading pitchers Noah Syndergaard, a solid starter, and Rafael Iglesias, their closer.

9. Chicago White Sox – Like the crosstown Cubs, the Sox basically sat on their hands during the Deadline Day frenzy. Still in contention despite a .500 record, Chicago is only three games out in the weak American League Central and also three games behind in the wild-card chase. Their big deal – landing Red Sox reliever Jake Diekman – was no big deal. The Sox carry a big payroll, ranked seventh in the majors at $196,865,622, and a little cost-cutting might have been prudent, especially if it helped restock the farm.

Dishonorable mention: Arizona, Colorado, Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Texas.