ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
When the work was finished, and five trades involving 22 players had been executed within six hours, A.J. Preller’s peers called him everything from a “lunatic” to a “genius,” a divergence befitting Major League Baseball’s most polarizing executive.
In the time between breakfast and lunch on the West Coast, Preller, the San Diego Padres‘ frenetic general manager, acquired eight players and parted with 14 others. He landed another impact talent (star closer Mason Miller) and plugged every imaginable hole on his roster, but he also dealt 11 prospects from a sagging farm system, including its best (shortstop Leo De Vries). He put the 2025 Padres back on par with the best teams in the sport, including rival Los Angeles Dodgers, but he also might have compromised the years to come.
Preller later recalled a line relayed to him by Billy Beane, a longtime exec of the Athletics who became an icon in his profession.
“I’ve traded MVP-caliber players, Cy Young-caliber players, All-Stars,” Preller recited, “and over 25 years later, I’m in this chair and won a lot of games.”
But Preller, like Beane before him, prefers to focus on what he gets rather than what he gives, and how this year’s prize, Miller, joins Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Josh Hader, Juan Soto, Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez and Tanner Scott — players who came back in deals and, in varying ways, made the Padres matter.
“You obviously are always trying to make good trades,” Preller said. “But I think we understand you got to give up good players to get good players. And in the end, if it puts your team in a good position for now and for the future, that’s a positive outcome.”
Four and a half years ago, Preller landed Darvish, Snell and Musgrove in a span of three weeks. Three years ago, he got Hader and Soto within two days. Last year, he acquired Cease, Arráez and Scott over the course of four months. This year, he set a new bar, using the few resources he had to turn a top-heavy roster into one of the National League’s deepest
Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano, two former Baltimore Orioles in the midst of breakout seasons, add length to a lineup that had received a major league-worst .584 OPS from its Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters. Freddy Fermín, an underrated catcher who served as Salvador Perez’s backup with the Kansas City Royals, upgrades the Padres’ weakest position. JP Sears, also acquired from the A’s, and Nestor Cortes, plucked from the Milwaukee Brewers, provide cushion to a rotation that can now count on a healthy Yu Darvish and a returning Michael King factoring into the stretch run. Miller joins Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada and incumbent closer Robert Suárez to form a devastating five-man relief corps that can essentially trim games in half.
Preller adeptly plugged every hole, and even fortified a strength, while keeping Suárez and front-line starter Dylan Cease, two pending free agents who were widely expected to become collateral. He did it all while barely increasing the payroll, if at all, a much bigger factor in the wake of late owner Peter Seidler’s death in November of 2023.
A person close to Preller called it “a masterful performance,” noting that seven of the eight players he acquired — all but O’Hearn — are controllable beyond this season. Sears, Fermín and, most notably, Miller, who won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season, are all in the pre-arbitration stages of their careers. Another rival front-office member, though, described the trading of De Vries as “a massive gamble” with “potentially devastating” long-term consequences, especially with Miller’s history of arm issues.
Preller’s willingness to move him speaks to his innate boldness, but also a belief that the Padres can continue to draft and develop impact talent.
It also speaks to the urgency.
Some of the Padres’ most high-profile players — Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Darvish in particular — are well into their 30s. A World Series championship continues to elude the 56-year-old franchise. And the Dodgers, the team they’re perpetually chasing, are once again within reach, with six more games against them later this month.
The Padres surged to a 14-3 start this season, posted a losing record in May and June, then righted themselves again in July. When the trade deadline arrived, they sat 3 ½ games up on the final wild card spot and three back of the Dodgers for the top spot in the division.
By then, an NL West that seemed legitimately four teams deep not long ago had been whittled down to two legitimate contenders. The Arizona Diamondbacks couldn’t overcome their pitching injuries and traded a handful of notable pending free agents before the deadline. The San Francisco Giants faded quickly after acquiring Rafael Devers in a rare June blockbuster and also shed expiring contracts. The Dodgers, meanwhile, approached the deadline amid one of their worst stretches in years, slogging through 14 losses in their first 24 July games — and responded with moves on the margins.
Brock Stewart, a much-needed high-leverage reliever who has been dominant against opposing right-handed hitters, and Alex Call, an outfielder lauded for his plate discipline, constituted two useful complimentary pieces. But the Dodgers fell short on bigger talents — most notably Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, who did not move, and Minnesota Twins setup man Griffin Jax, who went to the Tampa Bay Rays — because they were unwilling to part with their best prospects, according to rival executives. Their reluctance came despite possessing one of the strongest farm systems in the industry.
The Padres did the opposite, shedding the best prospect from a system that stands among the sport’s thinnest. Given how scouts have seemingly soured on 19-year-old catcher Ethan Salas, De Vries, several evaluators have said, stood as the Padres’ only remaining high-ceiling prospect.
“He’s asked about in every deal,” Preller said. “He’s a really good player; he’s a tremendous prospect. We weren’t gonna do it unless we got the right fit.”
The Padres found that fit in Miller, who they scouted as an amateur leading up to the 2021 draft — and Preller still laments how he got away. He remembered hosting him at a predraft workout at Petco Park and asking if he would be willing to take a cut on his projected draft slot. Instead, Miller went to the A’s in the third round, surged through their system, suffered a sprain to his ulnar collateral ligament, transitioned from starter to reliever and became one of the game’s most electric closers, not to mention its hardest thrower. Miller’s ERA has gone from 2.49 in 2024 to 3.66 in 2025, but some of the underlying metrics suggest he has been just as dominant.
Said Preller: “He probably should’ve been a Padre a few years ago.”
He’s a Padre now, an acquisition that has triggered varying degrees of shock, dismay and wonder from members of 29 other teams. But to the Padres, Preller said, “the feeling is excitement.” At this time last year, Preller fortified a bullpen that was already a strength, then watched a mostly mediocre Padres group elevate to another level down the stretch, going 34-18 in August and September and looking like one of the best, deepest teams in the majors heading into October. The Dodgers rallied to beat them in five NL Division Series games, then openly lauded the Padres as the best team they faced while on their way to a title.
A listless offseason, in which glaring holes were filled on the cheap, was followed by an up-and-down first four months that highlighted obvious vulnerabilities.
Now, the Padres have life again.
“I feel like we made our club better,” Preller said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how we do here in the last few months.”
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers activated third baseman Max Muncy off the injured list Monday and placed utility man Tommy Edman on the IL because of a right ankle injury.
Edman suffered what the Dodgers called a sprain while rounding first base in the fifth inning of Sunday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Edman, 30, missed the first two weeks of May because of a right ankle injury and had been struggling since he came back, slashing .214/.273/.323 over a 56-game stretch.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t provide a timeline for Edman’s return but said he would “be back at some point.” The Dodgers don’t want to bring him back until he is fully healed this time.
“Where we’re at on the calendar,” Roberts said, “we’ve got to make sure we do everything on the front end that we don’t have a setback.”
Muncy returned to his customary No. 5 spot for the opener of a three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished 0-for-3 and ended the game with a line out in the bottom of the ninth.
A little more than a month ago, he didn’t think he’d return to the field this year.
In the sixth inning on July 2, with Clayton Kershaw a strikeout away from 3,000, Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor slid headfirst into Muncy’s left knee. Muncy said his initial thought was, “I’ve got to get off this field so Kersh can keep pitching.” As he went down the tunnel, Muncy was convinced his season was finished.
With Muncy on the trainer’s table, the Dodgers’ medical personnel examined his left leg. He was told the knee felt strong, that the swelling wasn’t nearly as bad as anticipated. An MRI the following morning revealed no structural damage.
“As I was laying there on the ground that night, I thought for sure, ‘This is it,'” Muncy said. “At that time, obviously, you have a million things that start going through your mind. Obviously, they’re all the worst. It’s hard to stay positive in a moment like that. But just trying to be thankful and blessed to be able to get back on the baseball field this year. I’m going to try to enjoy every second of it knowing how close it was to not being there for me.”
NEW YORK — The first career save for Nic Enright was a particularly meaningful one.
Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians‘ 7-6 win over the New York Mets.
“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”
Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 — 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft.
After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May.
He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus.
The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for November.
“I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn’t going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life,” Enright said. “It’s something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, [it shows] I haven’t just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time.”
Enright made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation.
Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right.
“I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan [Jones] kind of keep running,” Enright said. “But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.”
Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room.
“I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,” Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. “I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.”
Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card.
“Really, really cool,” Enright said. “These last couple of years, especially, I’ve gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that’s gone on. And so for me, it’s being able to reflect on those in these moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down. Because it hasn’t exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.”
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
CHICAGO — New Chicago Cubs starter Michael Soroka left his first game with his new team with right shoulder discomfort and will require a stint on the injured list, the team announced on Monday after its 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Soroka, who turned 28 on Monday, felt something grab in his shoulder after throwing a pitch in the second inning. He didn’t come out for the third.
“Went to go put a little extra on a fastball and it grabbed me a little bit,” Soroka said afterwards. “And it didn’t go away.”
Soroka was acquired last week from the Washington Nationals for two prospects and though he’s experienced a dip in velocity over the last month, he claimed he wasn’t in any pain as he took the mound for the first time as a Cub.
“There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong,” Soroka said.
The six-year veteran has been searching for answers to his drop in velocity, eventually getting an MRI before his last start before being traded. It came back clean, according to Soroka, so he stayed focused on his mechanics.
“Everyone knew the velocity hadn’t been there the last month,” he said. “I still had life on everything. The breaking ball was still playing like it did in the first [inning].”
Soroka struck out two in the first inning on Monday, displaying a nasty slurve to whiff TJ Friedl and Austin Hays, but then his velocity dipped in the second when he gave up a home run to Tyler Stephenson before leaving a few minutes later.
“You’re always concerned when you have to come out of the game,” Soroka stated. “It’s never fun. I’m embarrassed. You come to this org and hope to hit the ground running and two innings later, we’re having to pull the plug.”
The Cubs need fresh arms as Soroka was their lone addition to the starting rotation before MLB’s trade deadline last Thursday. Righties Jameson Taillon (calf) and Javier Assad (oblique) are on the mend and due back soon, but the team is still short in the starting staff.
Ben Brown took over for Soroka on Monday but he has been shaky as the every-fifth-day starter. They may need to turn to him again.
“We didn’t have any signs of it,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Soroka. “His velocity has gone backwards. He’s trying to figure out how to fix that. He was optimistic in the first couple days here that we could help him there and things could get better.
“This is unfortunate.”
Soroka was 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA for the Nationals before being traded for Single-A prospect Ronny Cruz and Triple-A outfielder Christian Franklin.