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, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Thursday.
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. Later, Preller improved his catching situation by bringing in Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals.
With O’Hearn and Laureano, though, 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, Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets rotating through first base, second base and designated hitter.
Laureano, 31, is a .252 hitter in his eight-year MLB career with 97 home runs and 298 RBIs.
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