San Diego Padres GM AJ Preller is no stranger to chaos, but even by his standards, the 2025 trade deadline was next level. Over a six-hour span, Preller executed five trades involving 22 players—acquiring eight and sending out 14, including 11 prospects. Depending on who you ask, the flurry of moves was either “lunacy” or “genius,” a split that feels right in line with Preller's career-long balancing act between boldness and recklessness.
At the heart of the Padres’ deadline shakeup was the acquisition of star closer Mason Miller from the Oaklamento A’s. To get him, Preller dealt away Leo De Vries, the top prospect in a farm system that was already one of the thinnest in baseball. It was a gamble that drew praise and criticism in equal measure.
“He’s a tremendous prospect,” Preller said of De Vries. “We weren’t gonna do it unless we got the right fit.” That “fit” was Miller, a flame-throwing right-hander the Padres had scouted heavily before the 2021 draft. “He probably should’ve been a Padre a few years ago,” Preller admitted.
The Padres are all in for 2025
Miller isn’t the only big-name addition. Preller plugged every hole on the roster. Former Orioles Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano bring much-needed depth to the back of the lineup. Catcher Freddy Fermín stabilizes the weakest position group. Left-handers JP Sears and Nestor Cortes add rotation insurance, while Miller headlines a bullpen that now looks like a playoff-caliber wrecking crew alongside Robert Suárez, Jason Adam, and Adrian Morejon.
And despite the splash, Preller didn’t spike the payroll, which matters more than ever after the passing of beloved owner Peter Seidler. Seven of the eight players acquired are under team control beyond this season, with Miller and Sears not even eligible for arbitration yet.
Still, not everyone is sold. One rival executive called the De Vries trade “a massive gamble” with “potentially devastating” long-term implications, especially given Miller’s injury history. But for Preller, this isn’t new territory. Over the years, he’s parted with future stars like Max Fried, Luis Castillo, and CJ Abrams. His belief? Focus on what you get, not what you give.
It's a philosophy he shares with Billy Beane, the longtime A's executive who once told him, “I’ve traded MVP-caliber players, Cy Young-caliber players… and I’m still here.” That message clearly stuck.
The urgency is real. The Padres' veteran core—Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Yu Darvish—isn’t getting younger. The Dodgers remain the measuring stick, and with six more head-to-head games coming, Preller wasn't going to stand pat.
San Diego currently holds the final NL wild card spot and trails L.A. by just three games in the West. With the division suddenly down to a two-team race after Arizona and San Francisco faded, Preller saw a window—and smashed through it.
“I feel like we made our club better,” he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how we do here in the last few months.” Whether he's a lunatic or a genius might depend on how October plays out.
