Padres sneak in Hunter Stratton trade with Pirates amid flurry of blockbuster moves

It initially felt like an oddly quiet deadline day for A.J. Preller. But the Padres finished the day making plenty of noise. Apparently, A.J. Preller had room for one more deal. Amid the bigger, headline-stealing moves, the Padres quietly acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor league pitcher Andrew Moore. Pittsburgh announced the trade and assigned Moore to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Stratton’s addition isn’t going to lead the news cycle. This is a simple depth move. But championship hopefuls need that, and the Padres saw enough to grab Stratton before he could slip through waivers.

His 2026 season hasn’t been great. Stratton opened the year in the Atlanta Braves organization, spending most of his time with Triple-A Gwinnett. He received a brief major league opportunity in May before Atlanta DFA’d him on June 17.

Hunter Stratton’s turbulent 2026 season brings him to San Diego

Pittsburgh acquired him in a trade that sent catcher Joey Bart to the Braves. That might sound a little wild because Bart was just dealt again on Aug. 3 to the White Sox. Stratton bounced between Indianapolis and the Pirates, made two major league appearances for Pittsburgh and then landed back in DFA limbo on Aug. 1 when the club needed a roster spot for Camilo Doval.

Now he joins San Diego. The major league numbers aren’t inspiring. Stratton has pitched only 3 1/3 innings across three appearances this season, recording a 5.40 ERA, a 1.80 WHIP and three strikeouts. It’s a sample so small that we shouldn’t draw conclusions just yet. 

His work with Indianapolis is far more interesting. Stratton threw eight scoreless innings over seven appearances, allowing traffic at a 0.63 WHIP while striking out nine. The Friars are hoping that version of Stratton can provide meaningful innings down the stretch.

The Padres saw a 29-year-old reliever pitching well in Triple-A, identified a chance to add experienced depth and moved a minor league right-hander to make it happen.

Moore could eventually become something for Pittsburgh, but the Padres are operating with immediate goals. They’re trying to win now, and that means collecting as many arms as possible before the inevitable fatigue, injuries and late-season chaos begin testing the pitching staff.

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