The San Diego Padres will acquire two major bats from the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano, as A.J. Preller’s mad dash to the MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. E.T. continues. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the news.
Few GMs are as bold as Preller, but even he has outdone himself today, now adding an All-Star starter and a premium outfielder to a haul that includes Mason Miller, J.P. Sears and Freddy Fermin. In case there was any doubt, the Padres plan to play deep into October.
O’Hearn is on an expiring contract. Laureano has a club option for $6.5 milion in 2026, which will almost certainly be picked up based on his production this season.
San Diego is still working the phones, with Dylan Cease’s name prominent in trade talks, but even if this is the end of the Padres’ deadline maneuvering, it will go down as one of the most absurd displays of GM sting-pulling in recent memory.
Orioles add major offensive pop with Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano trades
Baltimore will receive six prospects in return, per MASN’s Roch Kubatko. Among them: LHP Boston Bateman, the No. 4 prospect in San Diego’s system.
This comes after San Diego has already traded SS Leo De Vries, their No. 1 prospect, and Ryan Bergert, their No. 7 prospect, among many others on a day of sweeping changes. O’Hearn, Laureano, Miller, Sears and Fermin is quite the haul on paper. All five should play important roles down the stretch. But it’s worth noting just how much long-term prospect capital and depth Preller has sacrificied in this all-out push.
Unlike Miller and Fermin, both under club control for many years to come, O’Hearn is a rental and Laureano only has one more year left on his deal. This is a true win-now investment.
Update: Here is the full list of prospects going back to Baltimore.
Padres are all-in with chaotic trade deadline moves
To be fair, O’Hearn and Laureano will both help — a lot. The former can knock Luis Arráez to the DH role or occupy the DH role himself, where he started for the American League in the All-Starr Game. The latter should address San Diego’s well-documented need for outfield help.
O’Hearn has been one of the few bright spots in a dour Orioles season, vastly outperforming expectations on the field and becoming a true leader off of it. He’s hitting .283 with an .837 OPS and a 134 wRC+. Laureano is hitting .290 with an .884 OPS and 144 wRC+. Those were the Orioles’ leaders in both OPS and wRC+.
Rarely are two players this consequential acquired in the same trade, much less hours after the very same team dealt its top prospect for a dominant relief arm like Mason Miller and gave up two young starters for a new catcher.
A.J. Preller… you are a madman.
