Much has been said about the deadline acquisitions of the San Diego Padres, which included pitchers Mason Miller, JP Sears and Nestor Cortes. It also included position players Ramon Laureano, Freddy Fermin and Ryan O’Hearn at the major league level, and Will Wagner and Jorge Quintana at the minor league level.
It was evident to the Padres and their fans that upgrades were needed to make the roster more complete. The additions from deals made by General Manager AJ Preller seem to have been made with careful thought and consideration and after just six games, they are already paying dividends.
The move that had many San Diego fans scratching their heads was the addition of Miller, a closer with a big arm and eye-popping velocity. With All-Star Robert Suarez already filling the role of closer for the Padres, it seemed the cost for Miller and Sears, San Diego top prospect Leodalis De Vries, was too steep for what was considered a luxury addition unless the Padres traded away Suarez and made Miller the closer for the remainder of the 2025 season.
When all the trades were said and done, Suarez was still in the San Diego bullpen and he was going to be joined by Miller in an undefined role. In his first three appearances for the Padres, Miller has one hold, one save and several pitches over 100 mph. He has also allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and one home run.
Sears made one start for San Diego and had a rough outing. He was optioned to Triple-A El Paso after the game, which allowed San Diego to add Cortes to the roster for his start, Wednesday. Cortes completed 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, but he managed traffic on the basepaths and limited damage before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
As much as the Miller addition had the Friar Faithful questioning Preller, the addition of Ramon Laureano was exactly what the team needed. Laureano upgraded the left field position on defense and lengthened the lineup on offense. He directly impacted the San Diego win on Wednesday night with a double play in the seventh inning that ended the inning and a potential scoring threat by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Laureano has amassed nine hits in 26 at-bats, which includes a home run, two triples, a double, a walk and five RBI.
Freddy Fermin, like Laureano, was a much needed upgrade at the catcher position for the Padres. Like the Miller/Sears addition, the San Diego fanbase questioned the cost for Fermin as Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek were both sent to Kansas City to acquire him. Fermin has appeared in five games and has 16 at-bats. He has seven hits, including a double, with a run scored and three RBI with two walks. It should be noted that Fermin has yet to strikeout in a Padres uniform. He has also thrown out a runner and has gotten some calls to go in the favor of San Diego pitchers with his pitch-framing abilities behind the plate.
The addition that was perhaps the most exciting for the Friar Faithful was All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn. He has appeared in five games and has 13 at-bats with San Diego. O’Hearn has two hits with a run and an RBI. He delivered a critical solo home run in the top of the ninth inning that allowed the Padres to tie the game and eventually earn the 3-2 win, Wednesday.
The statistics for the majority of the new additions to the San Diego roster have been comforting to see, but the result of the individual achievements have impacted the team record over the last two series. San Diego took two-of-three from St. Louis and Arizona, giving the Padres a 4-2 record on the road trip. They outscored their opponents 31-25, have moved to 13 games over .500 and are within two games of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lead in the National League West Division.
The Boston Red Sox come to Petco Park, Friday for a three-game series before the Padres start a six-game road trip that starts in San Franciso and ends in Los Angeles. If Miller, Laureano, Fermin and O’Hearn continue to contribute as they have in their first week with the team and the likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts can play to their potential, it could be an exciting nine-game stretch.