Padres may have dodged bullet with former trade deadline link now out for season

The Padres took care of every need at the trade deadline, filling the vacancies at catcher, designated hitter, and left field. However, the outlook at one of these positions could have looked a lot different, as the front office originally had someone else in mind.

It was rumored that A.J. Preller and his team had Diamondbacks’ left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on their radar to fill the gaping hole in the outfield. But instead, they acquired Ramón Laureano in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, and this difficult decision could have determined how the rest of the season would play out.

On September 1 against the Texas Rangers, Rowdy Tellez hit a fly ball in the gap between Gurriel Jr. in left and Blaze Alexander, who was in center. Gurriel cut in toward the infield to make the play before hopping out of the way after being called off by Alexander, who made a sprawling grab. While backing away, Gurriel Jr. collapsed to the ground in pain. X-rays revealed that he tore the ACL in his right knee, ending his 2025 season.

With Gurriel Jr. now out for the rest of the season, it raises the question of what the Padres’ season would have looked like if this injury had occurred in yellow and brown. The obvious answer to the question is: not good. Not only would there be another vacancy to fill, but San Diego would also have missed out on Ramón Laureano, who has been elite since arriving in Southern California.

Comparing the numbers between the two after the trade deadline, Laureano has been significantly better. The 31-year-old is slashing .310/.355/.566 with a wRC+ of 157. 

While Gurriel Jr. is the same age as Laureano and has more years of team control, his numbers have not been as sharp. Leading up to the injury, he had a slash line of .259/.301/.482 with a wRC+ of 111, which is solid.

Not only is Laureano a better player overall, but he is also at peak performance. If San Diego had traded for Gurriel Jr. and the injury took place, the trajectory of the season could look very different.