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Ryan O’Hearn (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
After adding the best closer on the market in a massive deal, San Diego added a pair of much-needed bats, as well, with a deal to acquire Orioles first baseman/DH Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano.
The Padres have been one of the worst teams in baseball in production in left field and DH. While O’Hearn is a complementary piece and not a star, he immediately upgrades a clear position of need for San Diego. Laureano, meanwhile, is streaky, but his bat comes with some pop when he’s on.
The package of players going back to Baltimore is expansive and headlined by some notable Padres prospects from last year’s draft class, including Boston Bateman, the mammoth lefthander, and Cobb Hightower, a prep shortstop.
ORIOLES RECEIVE
Boston Bateman, LHP
Age: 19
Usually when talking about teenage pitchers, scouting reports include some mention of projectability and the ability to gain strength as a player fills out. Bateman is a teenager, but he’s also a fully-grown man.
Listed as a massive 6-foot-7, 250-pounder, Bateman signed last year for a well-overslot $2.5 million. In his first pro action, he’s been as advertised. He has a 95-96 mph fastball that has enough velocity, but hitters get a good look at it because of his long arm action. His slider could develop into an above-average pitch, and he needs to improve his changeup considering how many righthanded hitters he’ll face. For all his size and stuff, he’s more of a weak-contact pitcher than one who gets lots of strikeouts.
The No. 6 prospect in the Padres’ system, Bateman could develop into a midrotation starter, but his large frame is both a strength because of potential durability and weakness, because it will make it harder for him to repeat his throwing motion consistently.
Cobb Hightower, SS
Age: 20
The Padres’ 2024 third-round pick who emerged with a dominating senior season at East Rowan (N.C.) High, Hightower ranked No. 8 in the Padres’ Top 30 Prospects rankings. He’s projected to stay in the dirt long term, but there are concerns that he’ll move from shortstop to second base because of his average range and arm. Offensively, he works counts and has a potentially above-average hit tool, but he’s also shown very modest power that will need to improve.
Brandon Butterworth, SS
Age: 22
Butterworth was a 12th-round pick out of NC State in 2024. An undersized middle infielder, he’s not been viewed as a premium prospect and did not rank in the Padres’ Top 30. He is hitting .267/.327/.455 this year at High-A Fort Wayne as a utility man who’s primarily played second base while also seeing time at shortstop and left and center field.
Tyson Neighbors, RHP
Age: 22
A closer at Kansas State, Neighbors is a reliever all the way. But he has a chance to be a useful MLB power reliever by late this year or next year. He ranked 20th on the Padres Top 30. Neighbors works up and down from the top of the zone to the bottom with a lively upper-90s fastball, a plus power curve and a gyro slider. He has held opponents to a .158 average this year, and he’s striking out 37.6% of hitters.
Victor Figueroa, 1B
Age: 21
The son of the late Jonathan Figueroa and a one-time top Dodgers pitching prospect, Victor has massive power potential, but he will need to do a lot of work to find a defensive position. He’s been tried at right field, but he’s well below average there. He’s also unreliable at first base, where he’s made 10 errors in 44 games.
Offensively, he’s hit .318/.420/.588 between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and a much longer stint at Low-A Lake Elsinore. Figueroa’s offensive potential is significant, but his defensive concerns are also worth watching.
Tanner Smith, RHP
Age: 22
Smith was a 15th-round pick out of Harvard in 2024. The Padres liked his stuff even as he posted a truly ugly 8.49 ERA in 23.1 innings for the Crimson with 30 walks in just 23.1 innings. He touches 97-98 mph at his best but with very scattered control.
Smith has been better in pro ball so far, though, not by a whole lot. He went 0-2, 5.73 in 11 innings in the Arizona Complex League with a .308 opponents average, but he’s been better (1-1, 1.80, .208 opponents average) since a promotion to the Lake Elsinore bullpen. Smith has a promising arm, and his curveball could pair with that fastball eventually, but he is most likely an org arm. He was not ranked among the Padres Top 30 Prospects.
PADRES RECEIVE
Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/DH
Age: 32
O’Hearn was one of the savviest pickups in recent years by the Orioles. He was acquired for cash considerations from the Royals before the 2023 season after five middling seasons in Kansas City. In his new home, he immediately became a consistent power source. He’s hit .277/.342/.454 over the past three seasons, and he’s hitting .283/.374/.463 this year.
O’Hearn will likely primarily DH for the Padres, but he could play left field at times for a team that has played Gavin Sheets regularly out there.
Ramon Laureano, OF
Age: 31
Laureano was a solid regular for the Athletics earlier in this decade, but he’s long been a streaky hitter. In a cold streak, he was waived by the A’s in 2023 and then released by the Guardians early in the 2024 season. He bounced back to respectability with the Braves last year, and has looked at his best this year, hitting .290/.355/.529 with 15 home runs in 82 games.
Laureano’s streakiness is something to be watched, but he’s one of the most productive hitters to be dealt at the deadline. Defensively, he continues to have one of the best arms in the game, but he’s slowed down to average speed and is limited in his range.
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