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The San Diego Padres are, once again, the team of the MLB trade deadline. They picked up Mason Miller from the Athletics in one of the biggest deals of the day. Then they got Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn from the Baltimore Orioles. The Padres kept their trade deadline rolling by picking up Will Wagner from the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We have acquired infielder Will Wagner from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Brandon Valenzuela,” the Padres' official account posted.
The Blue Jays dealt Wagner amid a stretch where he has gotten regular run in the infield. Toronto has opened up a spot on the 40-man roster by getting catcher Brandon Valenzuela back in the deal. He has been in AA this year and ranked 26th in the Padres' prospect pipeline.
The Padres have solid infielders at all four positions. Wagner won't get playing time over Manny Machado or Xander Bogaerts, especially as they put together solid seasons. He can be a utility backup infielder for the Padres, which is an important position for a World Series contender.
Wagner has a .634 OPS in 40 games this season with the Blue Jays. That is not going to be enough to get into the Padres' lineup on a daily basis. But San Diego is looking to put together the best 26-man roster possible to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. That involves improving on Jose Iglesias, who has been their bench infielder so far this year.
The Blue Jays did add at the MLB trade deadline, picking up Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians. Does opening up the 40-man spot mean someone is coming back from injury? Or will they make another trade to improve their team? The AL East race will be tight, and Toronto is gearing up.
