The San Diego Padres have traded their prime prospect, Leodalis De Vries, in alternate for the Athletics All-Star nearer Mason Miller and left-hander JP Sears. The 18-year-old De Vries was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and the highest prospect within the Padres’ farm system.
De Vries was the highest prospect within the 2024 worldwide class, signing with the Padres for $4.2 million. He rose shortly by the Padres’ system and reached Excessive-A, the place he posted a .767 OPS.
Below basic supervisor A.J. Preller, San Diego has grow to be recognized for blockbuster strikes, having traded away future All-Stars James Wooden, C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore since 2022. The trio was traded to accumulate celebrity Juan Soto, who’s not with the group. Previous to being traded, not one of the three had reached the identical prospect standing as De Vries.
The Padres are clearly all-in, hoping to maximise their window with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. They’ve reached the postseason in two of the previous three seasons, failing to win a pennant both time. The commerce boosts their World Collection odds and strengthens a bullpen that already owns the most effective ERA in baseball, nevertheless it jeopardizes their future.
How lengthy the Padres can proceed buying and selling away future All-Stars earlier than going through the results of a depleted farm system stays to be seen. Buying and selling away De Vries clearly prioritizes the current over the long run. If the Padres don’t make a significant push on this 12 months’s postseason, they might reside to remorse this commerce for years to come back.
