Padres News: Preller's comments on Soto trade, Higashioka honored, rotation dominance

The San Diego Padres entered the second half of the 2024 season in need of a strong start. The Padres were in the thick of the NL wild card race after an up-and-down first half and if they could get on a roll after the break, that would likely further embolden the front office to go out and try to make things happen at the trade deadline.

Thankfully, that is exactly what has happened as the Padres have rattled off three straight wins after the bullpen imploded against Cleveland in their first game back. Here is a look at some of the more interesting Padres news tidbits from the last few days.

Padres News: San Diego's rotation is on an insane tear

Given that both Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are out with injuries at the moment, it would be easy for Padres fans to think that the rotation is a weak spot on the roster. However, San Diego's starters clearly didn't get that memo has they have been absolutely nails to start the second half.

While the first game of the Guardians series got away from them late, the rest of the news has been terrific on the pitching front. Matt Waldron, Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Randy Vasquez all went at least six innings while giving up one run or fewer. Asking the rotation to continue to be this good probably isn't going to happen, but it is a great sign for the short-term while the team waits for Musgrove and Darvish to return.

Padres News: AJ Preller has no regrets about trading for Juan Soto

There is a real argument that trading for Juan Soto ended up setting the Padres back in a big way. James Wood became one of the best prospects in baseball, CJ Abrams in thriving in Washington, and Mackenzie Gore has become a rotation mainstay ... while Soto is hitting homers for the Yankees alongside Aaron Judge (although with little help beyond them).

Even with the benefit of hindsight, Padres general manager AJ Preller still has no regrets about the trade today. Noting that San Diego was pushing to get to the World Series at the time, Preller said, "We knew we were trading some players who were going to do some really good things in the big leagues. But you’re trading for Juan Soto, an A-lane performer, one of the most impactful forces in the game with control years. You’re going to trade real players to get someone like that."

While the end result isn't what anyone wanted, you have to respect Preller's position here.

Padres News: Higashioka receives honored related to grandfather's WWII service

San Diego fans are only really just getting to know Kyle Higashioka as he is in the middle of his first season with the team after coming over in the "other" Juan Soto trade last offseason with the Yankees. Higashioka has proven to be a capable backstop, especially while Luis Campusano was out, and has a more than respectable .765 OPS in 44 games this season.

However, what many fans may not know is that Higashioka's grandfather was a bonafide World War II hero. Recently, Higashioka received a replica Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony meant to commemorate his grandfather's Army unit comprised of Japanese Americans that demanded to be able to fight in the war for the Allies despite the rampant distrust of Japanese Americans in the US at the time. It's just an incredible story during a difficult time in the world, and it was nice that Higashioka ended up being involved in some capacity.

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