SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – This trade deadline may have been the wildest of San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller's decade-plus career. Overall, the Padres either traded or acquired 21 different players in the hours leading up to the deadline.
The main headline: Acquiring former All-Star closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears from the Athletics in exchange for top prospect Leodalis De Vries and three minor league pitchers.
ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan first reported De Vries, the 18-year-old shortstop considered to be one of baseball’s top prospects, was the headliner of the package being sent to the Athletics.
Also heading to the A's are pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Nunez, Passan said.
Welcome to San Diego, Mason and JP! pic.twitter.com/mKdbTKo9W8
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 31, 2025
Both organizations officially announced the trade just before 10 a.m. Pacific time.
The 26-year-old Miller has tallied 20 saves in 2025. He was an All-Star in 2024 and saved 28 games for the Athletics last season.
Sears, the 29-year-old lefty, has a 7-9 record in 2025, with a 4.95 earned run average.
According to sports director Ben Higgins, the Friars managed to add to their lineup, add to their bench, and reinforce an already elite bullpen. At the same time, they managed to avoid touching their rotation, even adding a couple of depth options.
See Higgins' executive summary of the deadline moves below:
@abc10news The San Diego Padres shipped off 14 players at the trade deadline while acquiring seven back. As sports director Ben Higgins says in his recap of the Friars' flurry of moves, the farm is bare, but the chips are all in. Do you think the Padres are ready to contend? ⚾️ #MLB #tradedeadline #padres #baseball #forthefaithful ♬ original sound - ABC 10News San Diego
Padres add to catching depth
Hours after the blockbuster move for Miller and Sears, Passan reported the Padres sent pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to the Kansas City Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin.
The 30-year-old Fermin has three homers and 12 RBI on the season while serving as the backup to starter Salvador Perez.
Flurry of moves prior to deadline
A.J. Preller was busy on the phone: Passan reported that the Padres are finalizing a deal with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano. The Padres later confirmed they acquired these bats by shipping off several prospects: pitchers Tyson Neighbors, Tanner Smith and Boston Bateman and infielders Brandon Butterworth, Victor Figueroa and Cobb Hightower.
Additionally, the official Padres X account said the franchise moved minor league catcher Brandon Valenzuela for infielder Will Wagner from the Toronto Blue Jays. Wagner, 27, has a .237 batting average, with seven doubles, seven RBI and 13 runs scored through 40 games with Toronto this year.
The San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal to acquire first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
In the final deal of the day for the Friars, Brandon Lockridge was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for lefty Nestor Cortes, shortstop Jorge Quintana and cold hard cash. Cortes has been dealing with a left elbow injury throughout 2025, resulting in only two starts on the season for him. He has a 34-22 career record, with a 3.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 583 strikeouts in 137 games, 88 of which were starts.
Quintana, 18, has been playing on the Brewers' ACL rookie-level team. Through 50 games in 2025, he is batting .264 with 13 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 23 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
Other notable deals reported before the deadline
— A homecoming for Carlos Correa: The Minnesota Twins traded Correa to the Houston Astros. Passan reported that the deal was dead 24 hours ago, but the two sides bridged a "significant financial gap." Correa waived his no-trade clause to allow the move to go through.
— The Philadelphia Phillies got hard-throwing closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for two minor leaguers; the Phils also picked up outfielder Harrison Bader from the Twins in a separate deal.
— In two separate trades, the Seattle Mariners boosted their offense by getting first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
— The Toronto Blue Jays picked up former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for a minor league pitcher.
— Bullpen help was a high priority for the New York Mets, as they acquired closer Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals and Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants.
— The New York Yankees added to their bullpen by trading for former All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yanks are sending back catching prospects Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, and outfielder Brian Sanchez.
Check back on this story for more Padres updates ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline, which expires at 3 p.m. Pacific time.
