The Padres may have gotten a trade deadline steal that no one saw coming

The MLB trade deadline passed a few weeks ago, and the San Diego Padres certainly upgraded their bullpen. The Friars received top marks from evaluators claiming that adding Tanner Scott and Jason Adam was exactly what they needed in order to fortify their playoff positioning over the final two months of the season.

But the big fish got away. Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller was said to be enamored with Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet. Unfortunately, Preller was forced to abandon his pursuit of the left-handed All-Star after Crochet's contract demands threw a wrench into negotiations.

With Crochet off the table (unless an opposing GM wanted to pay a king's ransom in prospect capital), Preller turned to the Pittsburgh Pirates to help bolster San Diego's starting rotation. The Padres swung a trade for left-handed veteran Martin Perez, and it may well have been another brilliant transaction by the Friars' top decision-maker.

The Padres may have gotten a trade deadline steal after acquiring Martin Perez

Perez was an All-Star in 2022 with the Texas Rangers. The southpaw went 12-8 that season with a 2.89 ERA and nearly eclipsed 200 innings of work. Perez was then used in a hybrid role last season, but saw his ERA jump and his ERA+ plummet. Last season, Perez was 10-4 with a 4.45 ERA and 89 ERA+.

The lefty latched on with the Pirates this offseason, agreeing to a one-year, $8 million deal. But with Jared Jones and Paul Skenes in the rotation, the Buccos saw an opportunity to jettison Perez while also bringing in left-handed pitching prospect Ronaldys Jimenez. The former Padres' farmhand is viewed as a high-upside pitcher, but doesn't even rank among the top 30 in the Pirates organization.

Since arriving in San Diego, Perez has been lights out. The veteran has appeared in three games for the Friars, logged over 18 innings with a 1.96 ERA, 0.764 WHIP, and 211 ERA since donning a Padres uniform.

With Joe Musgrove struggling to stay healthy this season and Yu Darvish still away from the team on the restricted list, adding Perez may have been a wildly underrated addition on the part of Preller. Perez was seen as a rental at this year's trade deadline, and is a free agent after the season. But if he keeps pitching like this, Preller and Co. may have to discuss a reunion in 2025.

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