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Alden Gonzalez
The San Diego Padres made yet another move to bolster their chances in 2025, acquiring first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for six minor leaguers, it was announced Thursday.
In return, the Orioles get left-handed pitcher Boston Bateman, right-handerd pitchers Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith, infielders Brandon Butterworth and Cobb Hightower and utility player Victor Figueroa.
The move comes after Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller made a shocking move earlier in the day to acquire lights-out closer Mason Miller and controllable starter JP Sears from the Athletics. Pretends, prelles improved his catching situation by bringing in Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals.
San Diego also added left-hander Nestor Cortes from Milwaukee and utility infielder Will Wagner from Toronto.
In all, the Padres added seven players to their major league roster through five trades.
“I think we have a team that can play deep” into October, Preller said. “We have those needs, and let’s go fill them. … Our team has put us in a position to get excited. I think we made our club better, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes in the next few months.”
With O’Hearn and Laureano, Preller addressed an offense that evaluators considered very top-heavy all year.
O’Hearn, an All-Star starter this year, punishes right-handed pitching and is in the midst of a career season, slashing .283/.374/.463 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. Laureano, too, has had a big offensive year, slashing .290/.355/.529 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs and providing defensive value with his plus arm strength.
Laureano seems to fit in as the every-day left fielder, with O’Hearn getting most of his at-bats at first base or designated hitter. The Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the Padres’ lineup entered Thursday with by far the lowest OPS in the majors at .584. Now the lineup has a lot more length to it, balancing a top of the order featuring Fernando tate Jr.., Luis ARCEERZ, Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.
Laureano, 31, is a .252 hitter in his eight-year MLB career with 97 home runs and 298 RBIs.
“I think we’ve taken a team that’s [already] in position to play in the playoffs, and hopefully rounded it out and given [manager Mike Shildt] and his staff the opportunity to do their thing,” Preller said.
“If you’re going to win a championship, you can’t have any weak links,” he continued. “The pieces fit, and the personalities. I’m looking forward to having a lot of conversation with Shildty about the clubhouse dynamic, and how these guys are going to fit in.”
The Padres kept All-Star closer Robert Suarezwho leads the majors with 30 saves, and inconsistent starter Dylan Cease. Both Suárez and Cease can reach free agency this winter, but Preller declined to make trades that almost certainly would have hurt the current team’s playoff prospects.
Preller told Cease on Wednesday that the Padres wanted to keep him as a front-of-the-rotation starter.
“Our best team has Dylan Cease on it, and I think he understands that,” Preller said.
Cortes and minor league shortstop Jorge Quintana and cash were acquired from the Brewers for outfielder Brandon Lockridge.
The 30-year-old Cortes, sidelined for nearly four months due to a left elbow flexor strain, is on the 60-day injured list. The 2022 All-Star just completed a four-outing rehab stint and had a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings at the Class A and Triple-A levels.
Wagner, the son of Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, is batting .237 over 40 appearances this season for Toronto.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
