Padres should chase more upside after Twins acquire Dean Kremer from Orioles

Good for the Minnesota Twins, truly. Dean Kremer makes sense for them. They needed innings after injuries gutted its rotation, and they acquired Kremer from the Orioles without surrendering anybody close to the majors. The O’s received an 18-year-old lottery ticket in Jhomnardo Reyes, a reasonable price for a veteran starter controlled through 2027.

As for the Padres, they need to shop in a different aisle. Kremer goes to Minnesota with a 6.50 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and 12 home runs allowed across 36 innings. He also spent more than two months sidelined by a quadriceps strain. He had a respectable 3.95 ERA from 2022 through 2025, which gives the Twins a rebound case. But San Diego’s rotation already contains enough rebound cases of their own.

Randy Vásquez enters August with a 4.45 ERA. Walker Buehler is at 5.13, and Griffin Canning at 6.65. None of which is what you want at the back end of your playoff rotation. Michael King remains the lone dependable presence in a rotation built on crossed fingers, short bursts and Craig Stammen’s willingness to get creative.

Adding Kremer would’ve created another competition for the fifth spot. That does nothing for the Padres right now. 

Padres need more than another back-end starter at the trade deadline

If San Diego buys before the deadline, which they should, the move must improve its potential postseason rotation. The question they have to ask is would Stammen feel comfortable giving this pitcher the ball in Game 3 of a playoff series?

With Kremer, that answer is no. The Padres already possess plenty of emergency starters. That should direct A.J. Preller toward pitchers such as Reid Detmers, José Soriano, Emerson Hancock or even Freddy Peralta. Though the latter has struggled this season, his swing-and-miss ability and previous frontline production makes him far more appealing than Kremer.

We’re not saying go as high as emptying the rest of their farm for Tarik Skubal. Honestly, that probably still wouldn’t be enough. But they do need to acquire somebody who changes the rotation instead of merely joining it.

The Twins acquired the kind of depth that totally works for them. The Padres’ current pitching numbers make their assignment much clearer. They need more than just innings. They need a real upgrade.

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