And there it is.
The move the Padres arguably needed to try to execute above all others came down with a little more than an hour to spare before Thursday’s trade deadline.
The team has added to its often-anemic offense by acquiring first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from the Orioles.
The acquisition of the two players was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by a Padres source.
The Padres are parting with a cache of players, all of them drafted in 2024.
Going to Baltimore are pitchers Boston Batemen, Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith and infielders Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower and Tanner Smith.
So far today, the Padres have traded away six of the top-15 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com. That includes Leo De Vries (No.1, to the Athletics), Bateman (No.4) and Hightower (No.6).
The Padres are still engaged in talks regarding pitcher Dylan Cease, who they would send away in part to provide payroll relief. They went into the deadline with the aim of not adding significnt commitments to a payroll that already ranks ninth in MLB.
It is unclear how O’Hearn fits in the infield, with Luis Arraez at first base and Jake Cronenworth at second base. The designated hitter is an option for Arraez and O’Hearn.
The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. PT.
The Padres’ third move of the day — after they got closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears from the Athletics and catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals — was their most anticipated for weeks.
In the swap with the Orioles, the Padres added a player who would rank second on their team in OPS and another who would lead the team in OPS if he had more plate appearances.
O’Hearn has an .837 OPS, 13th in the American League and lower than only Manny Machado among qualifying Padres players. Laureano, who has started in right field and left field and will play the latter for the Padres, has an .884 OPS in 294 plate appearances.
The 31-year-old right-handed batter spent two weeks on the injured list in late May and early June with an ankle sprain but is otherwise enjoying his best offensive season. He is batting .290/.355/.529 with 15 home runs and 17 doubles.
O’Hearn, the Orioles’ lone All-Star this season, also has experience in left field. He is batting 283/.374/.463 with 13 home runs and 15 doubles.
O’Hearn will make about $2.6 million over the season’s final two months and will be a free agent in 2026. Laureano is due a little more than $1 million over the rest of this season, and the Padres will have a $6 million option for 2026.
The Padres rank 22nd in the major leagues with a .698 OPS, a number that has risen 10 points in the past 10 games as the lineup but still leaves room for much improvement.
The team ranks second-to-last in the majors in home runs and 23rd in runs scored.
They have averaged 4.5 runs over their past 17 games. That is still just 14th in the major leagues, though they have ranked second in batting average and fifth in OPS in that span.
The Padres also announced the acquisition of infielder Will Wagner from the Blue Jays. Wagner, whose father is Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, has split time between Triple-A and the major leagues this season. The Padres sent minor-league catcher Brandon Valenzuela to the Jays.
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