The San Diego Padres and the Athletics concocted the 2025 MLB trade deadline headliner when Mason Miller was dealt to the Padres.

It was the biggest deal of the deadline, and in an article from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Athletics general manager, David Frost, revealed why they made the deal with the Padres, and it’s for a very obvious reason.

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“Ultimately, it took a player the caliber of De Vries to get our attention and get us to the negotiating table,” Frost told MLB.com. “In Mason’s case, we know it was going to take something special. When the Padres suggested they were open to including Leo, that’s kind of when this got serious.”

Frost and the Athletics pulled the trigger for the Miller trade thanks to Leo De Vries’ inclusion in the trade. Without him, the Athletics likely wouldn’t have been interested in a Miller trade.

But, to land a controllable player with as much talent as Miller, including someone like De Vries, isn’t out of the question. It’s rare that a player of De Vries’ prospect status, ranked third overall in MLB, gets moved.

MORE: Padres pull off blockbuster trade for Athletics’ Mason Miller

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It’s equally as rare for someone of Miller’s caliber to be moved at all, let alone at the trade deadline. A.J. Preller made the deal, landing Miller thanks to an offer which, in the eyes of one general manager, “It was a no-brainer (for the Athletics).”

It was a massive deal, which brought Miller and starting pitcher J.P. Sears to the Padres, while shipping out De Vries along with Braden Nett (3rd-ranked Padres prospect), Henry Barez (13th-ranked), and Eduarniel Nunez (17th-ranked) to the Athletics.

One of the largest trade deadline deals in baseball history brought a new elite bullpen arm to the Padres, who already had the best bullpen in baseball.

The blockbuster among blockbusters at this year’s trade deadline belongs to Preller and the Padres, an unsurprising outcome. And it’s all thanks to Preller, including De Vries; otherwise, Frost wouldn’t have been nearly as attentive as he was once he knew the 3rd-ranked prospect was available.

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