Padres reminded of painful trade after former reliever signs with White Sox

The 2020 season was an absolute whirlwind for the San Diego Padres. On top of the already strange nature of the shortened campaign due to the pandemic, a busy offseason and trade deadline for AJ Preller gave San Diego an almost brand new roster. One of those trades, a massive seven-player deal between the Padres and Seattle Mariners, left the Pads with three new faces.

One of those acquisitions, former Padres relief pitcher Dan Altavilla has recently signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox, which includes an invitation to Spring Training. The signing has left Padres fans reminded of a rare miss in Preller's time as GM, and has brought back the familiar feeling of what could have been, with Padres youngsters being traded away only to find their stride on another team.

Padres' 7-player trade with Mariners in 2020 still haunts fans

The deal that brought Altavilla and fellow reliever pitcher Austin Adams as well as up-and-coming catcher Austin Nola to the Padres was, at the time, a smart move. San Diego was looking for their first playoff appearance in 14 years, and a shortened season combined with recent big-name signings were greatly improving those chances. The strategy would work, with the Padres making it to the second round but ultimately falling to the Dodgers. The success, however, came with a price.

San Diego would send away four players in the deal, catcher Luis Torrens, outfielder Taylor Trammell, first baseman/designated hitter Ty France, and relief pitcher Andres Muñoz. Although Trammell has bounced around teams and ultimately been called a bust while Torrens has been an average catcher at best, it's the last two names that should sting the most for Padres fans.

France, who played collegiate baseball at San Diego State, is now a free agent after being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the middle of the 2024 season. In his time with the Mariners, France posted a .268/.343/.410 line, earning himself an All-Star selection in 2022. Although now no longer on a team, it is easy to speculate how an All-Star-caliber player could have helped when the Padres faced Philadelphia in the 2022 NLCS.

Muñoz, on the other hand, is a player San Diego may regret giving up for a long time. Earning his first All-Star bid just last year, the hard throwing right-hander has been a mainstay at the back end of Seattle's bullpen for the past three seasons. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020, Muñoz has appeared in at least 50 games a season since, posting an ERA under 3.00 in each. At a time where San Diego has one of the strongest bullpen's in the league but is at risk of losing a number of key pieces to free agency, there is no doubt Preller wishes he could have this one back.

To make matters worse, none of the three players San Diego acquired would make much of an impact for the team. Altavilla would struggle through injuries and mediocre performances, only appearing in 11 games for San Diego. Adams appeared in 70 games, posting a 3.97 ERA. It would be Nola with the largest impact, becoming the Padres starting catcher for the 2022 season and picking up key hits in San Diego's postseason run that same year.

Even with Nola's one-season breakout, it's a trade that many will want to forget. Now, all Padres fans can do is hope it doesn't continue to haunt them any further.