San Diego Padres: 4 player moves A.J. Preller likely regrets

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With the trade deadline approximately one month away, the San Diego Padres are expected to revamp their roster with several moves before August 1. The 2023 season has been a disaster as the Padres are mired in fourth place in the standings with a 37-43 record and no sign of change coming soon.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller has come under fire for the team’s poor play. His offseason free agent signings of Xander Bogaerts, Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter have all failed to produce at the plate. And reinforcements are not coming from the minor league system. Preller has pawned off the Friars' top prospects in trades that yielded little in return.

Here are four 4 San Diego Padres player moves that A.J. Preller regrets

Ty France traded to the Seattle Mariners

The Friars traded Ty France in a move that was supposed to gain them a hard-hitting catcher, Austin Nola, from the Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately, Nola has never lived up to the hype.

France was not considered a top prospect in the Padres minor league system, but he has proven to be a bonafide run producer in the majors. France is in the midst of another impressive offensive campaign. He is hitting for a decent average (.274) while having impressive on-base (.343) and slugging (.415) numbers. In 332 plate appearances, he has seven homers, scored 49 runs, 21 doubles and 35 RBI.

Preller’s staff is guilty of failing to notice his potential as a run producer. Someone in the organization needed to recognize his talents in their minor league progress reports. If so, France would have never been included in the deadline trade.

In 89 games with the Padres, he hit .251 with nine homers and 34 RBI. The lone negative was his failure to be selective at the plate. France recorded only 14 walks during his time in San Diego.

But the above statistical numbers show that he has improved to become a more disciplined hitter. His strikeout ratio decreased from 24.4% with the Friars to 15.3% with the Mariners. Also, France’s walk ratio has improved to 7.1% this season.

The Padres need an effective role player like France ASAP. He carries himself well at the plate while developing into a serviceable defensive first baseman. But his ability to drive in runs has been sorely missed this season.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

MacKenzie Gore traded to the Washington Nationals

Michael Wacha has been the lone bright spot of this offseason additions, but he is sidelined with shoulder discomfort. The injury has forced him to miss multiple starts, and no timetable has been determined for his return to action.

The Padres have limited pitching options if someone in the rotation cannot make their scheduled start. It would be nice to have MacKenzie Gore in the spot-starter role. He could provide length in quality starts. Instead, Gore was shipped to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade last summer.

At the time of the trade, Gore was on the injured list with elbow soreness. He was in the midst of decent rookie campaign. Gore recorded a 4.50 ERA and struck out 72 batters in 70.0 innings pitched. He missed bats and kept the baseball (2.3%) in the ballpark. The lone trouble spot was his inconsistency in throwing strikes (37 walks). The Friar Faithful loved witnessing him learning his trade with each start.

Gore has taken his game to the next level in becoming a big league starting pitcher. In 29 major league starts, Gore has pitched to a 4.16 ERA (3.89 ERA with the Nats), fanned 26.1% of the batters he faced and induced more groundball outs (40.0%) than most MLB starters. Gore is more effective when throwing his fastball, curve and slider for strikes. It has neutralized right-handed hitters to an ineffective .235 BA.

If he continues at this pace, Gore could become a future ace of a starting rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

David Bednar traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded one of baseball’s top starters (Joe Musgrove) with the hope that David Bednar would develop into one of the best closers in the sport. And their projections were not too far off. Bednar comes as advertised, challenging hitters with an overpowering fastball.

The Friars front office thought Bednar was a promising bullpen option for the big league club. Why not after he recorded a 2.71 ERA with a 303-71 strikeout-to-walk differential in his four minor league seasons with the Padres. Preller and his staff praised his dominant fastball, which bolstered Bednar’s stock as a potential major league closer.

Bednar posted a 2,21 ERA in his first season with the Pirates. His work from the mound featured plenty of swing-and-misses as Bednar struck out 77 batters in 60.2 IP. Those statistical numbers have changed very little since his debut in the Black and Gold.

Bednar is a fixture in their bullpen as the team’s closer. He has recorded 37 saves in 136 career appearances with Pittsburgh. Bednar is unhittable in high-level late-inning situations. He has a 29.1% strikeout rate and a pedestrian 2.6% walking rate in 142.1 IP.

He is not your prototypical major league pitcher, but Bednar provides a steady, consistent presence to any team’s bullpen. Nevertheless, acquiring a starting pitcher of Musgrove’s ability is worth the price of Bednar.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Clase traded to the Texas Rangers

Emmanuel Clase has established himself as baseball’s premier closer. He takes the ball in the ninth inning, and the Cleveland Guardians are leaving the field as winners.

In 208 appearances, Clase has a 1.63 ERA with 91 saves. His strikeout ratio is 22.4%, but Clase’s walk ratio (6.4%) and groundball outs ratio (57.7%) are both above league averages. Having a quality closer like Clase has increased the Guardians chances of making the postseason.

The Friar Faithful would have hoped Preller showed some patience and allowed Clase time to thrive in the minor system. Instead, he sent him to the Texas Rangers for organizational outfield depth. It was a colossal mistake.

The Rangers also failed to see the potential of Clase as they traded him to Cleveland in the Corey Kluber deal. He did make his major debut with Texas as Clase posted a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 IP. But he upped his game to a new level with the Guardians.

Clase excelled in high-level late-inning situations by striking batters at a 25.9% rate. Opposing batters are hitting .193 against him this season. The Guardians signed Clase to a five-year/$20 million deal, which includes two club options at $10 million in 2027 and 2028.

The Padres should regret not holding onto Clase as it would give them a different look to their bullpen. It would be ideal to have a quality closer under team control while chasing a World Series title. Preller would be dealing from strength as he could use assets to outbid the market for more pressing roster needs.

Unfortunately, the Friars have not produced a prospect like Clase during Preller’s front-office reign.

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