Padres make first trade of deadline season that seems like an overpay for relief help

While the San Diego Padres have been mentioned in connection with the top names on the trade market, that doesn't mean that every move they make has to be a blockbuster. Between their bench and bullpen, there are several roster spots where some minor optimizations could go a long way towards keeping the good times rolling in the second half of 2024.

On Sunday, San Diego made one such move that may look small in terms of the return, but could pay dividends the rest of the way.

According to FanSided's own Robert Murray, the Padres are acquiring righty reliever Jason Adam from the Rays for a very interesting package of prospects.

Padres News: San Diego pays heavy premium to acquire Jason Adam from Tampa

We'll start with Adam, as he is the easiest part of this deal to understand. He has a four-pitch mix (assuming you are inclined to separate his slider and sweeper) that grade out well; he misses bats; and he has averaged a 2.30 ERA in his three seasons with the Rays. Once you factor in Adam is under team control through 2026, you have a really valuable bullpen piece for the short- and long-term.

However, it sure feels like the Padres overpaid here based on what we know. Lesko was the Padres No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and was their first-round pick just a couple of years ago. Then again, the numbers this year are pretty ugly and San Diego may have soured on him. Bush Jr. may not be an impact bat at the next level, but he can absolutely fly and projects to be an above-average-to-plus defender at any spot in the outfield. Regardless of who the final name in the deal is, that is a lot to surrender for a relief pitcher.

If there was any confusion as to whether or not this is a seller's market, this should answer that question straight away. Between what the Padres had to give up here and the haul that the Angels received in the Carlos Estevez trade on Saturday, we could see some pretty silly trade packages over the next several days.

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