San Diego Padres: A.J. Preller's 2 best signings so far in 2025

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is always on the hunt for the club's next big player. Sometimes it's a star like Manny Machado, but other times, Preller has dug deep and added some players to the roster who have exceeded expectations.

These are the kind of deals that make Preller one of the most respected decision-makers in the sport, but it always comes with a risk. In 2025, Preller signed Nick Pivetta and Gavin Sheets, which are proving to be his two best signings of the season.

Nick Pivetta

Entering Saturday, only Brandon Pfaadt and Robbie Ray have more wins than Pivetta. Signed late in the offseason to a four-year deal, Pivetta has been a consistent arm in a rotation that has been littered with injuries to Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Michael King, and Matt Waldron. All of that, plus Dylan Cease had a rocky start to the campaign -- leaving Pivetta as the only reliable starter in the first half.

Eight of Pivetta's 15 outings have been quality starts, which leads Friars fans to believe that this was not just Preller's best signing of the winter, but perhaps the best steal across baseball.

Gavin Sheets

Gavin Sheets has never hit more than 15 home runs in a season, but through 72 games this year, he is already at 12, alongside a career best .788 OPS (entering Saturday). His career-high in RBIs sit at 53, which is just eight more than what he has this season. Is he an All-Star? He might just be.

Following a spring training that saw his OPS rise above 1.000, Sheets stamped his presence in the early going. In five March games, he batted 7-for-14 with five RBIs, including a home run on Opening Day.

Sheets' clutch gene and surprise power did not stop there, however. He enters Saturday riding an 11-game hitting streak, batting 14-for-41 (.341) over the span with recent big-time RBIs over the Dodgers and the Royals.

A.J. Preller is always good for making a few moves that rattle the baseball community. Signing Pivetta and Sheets proved to be more than just a hopeful sign of bolstering the roster. These two guys are making San Diego better, and have helped them remain in contention in the National League playoff chase.