Leo De Vries' early struggles with new team has Padres fans even more sold on Mason Miller trade

It's obviously way too early to crown a victor in the trade between the Padres and the Athletics from this season. But looking at the main two pieces in the deal, San Diego is winning in the short-term -- as they should be.

The Padres acquired star reliever Mason Miller ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline in exchange for Leo De Vries, one of the top prospects in all of baseball. While Miller - who has 12 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings so far with San Diego - has contributed in the big leagues as expected, De Vries has struggled a bit in the minor leagues since switching teams.

This is by no means Padres fans throwing a parade over De Vries not doing well. It's more so about the fans breathing an immediate sigh of relief, because well, watching De Vries go was incredibly difficult. With him struggling out of the gate in new threads, it comforts Padres fans, even just a little, even if it's just temporarily.

Leo De Vries has not adapted well to new minor league club following trade from Padres

Entering Friday, De Vries is batting .182 in his first 12 games with High-A Lansing. De Vries has yet to hit a home run, all while striking out 14 times. He had 31 extra-base hits in 82 games in San Diego's farm this year, including eight home runs, as opposed to just two through a dozen contests in the Athletics' minors.

De Vries is also riding a 1-for-19 skid entering Friday after producing five hits in his first four games. De Vries, 18, obviously has a ton of time to develop into the star that executives are expecting him to become. There's no questioning his future success at all, but his current problems at the plate have provided a short-term layer of comfort for Padres fans, who all thought he was going to be the future of the franchise.