Former Padres trade deadline target shining in second half of 2025

During the trade deadline madness, it was confirmed that the Padres were indeed interested in Harrison Bader, who, at the time, was with the Minnesota Twins. And while it was never reported that A.J. Preller made an offer for him, he might be kicking himself for not doing so.

Since being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, Bader has been on a tear and is a huge reason why the Phillies locked up their division and have a chance for home-field advantage.

In 44 games with his new club, Bader is slashing .329/.390/.510 with a 149 wRC+. His OPS has also risen 44 points over the course of the second half of the season. Along with an impactful bat, Bader has also provided elite defense in center field, ranking in the top 19% in fielding run value (FRV). He also has a cannon of an arm, so runners don’t even try to test him.

But it’s not like the Padres went home empty-handed, as they did manage to acquire Ramón Laureano to fill the left-field vacancy, a strong alternative. They also landed 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn in that same trade package. In 48 games, Laureano has posted an OPS of .822 with an increased slugging percentage—not to mention his 130 wRC+.

Defensively, he is not at the same level as Harrison Bader, but he is no liability when playing in the field, as he is able to make the routine plays.

Laureano has been an under-the-radar addition to this Padres team, as he has shown up when it mattered on the road to clinching their playoff spot. But it leaves you with the question of what the Padres would look like if they had traded for Harrison Bader instead. In the end, Preller couldn’t have gone wrong with either.

The Padres host the Milwaukee Brewers for one more game before opening a three-game series against the playoff-hopeful Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

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