The San Diego Padres are pretty much giving up the farm in an attempt to earn their first playoff appearance in a full season since 2006 and bring an initial World Series championship to the city.
Earlier on Tuesday, San Diego dealt away multiple top prospects and young players to the Washington Nationals for 23-year-old star outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell in one of the biggest in-season trades in modern MLB history.
This came one day after the Friars acquired four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers for more prospects.
Apparently, general manager A.J. Preller wasn’t done ridding himself of his young talent for proven veterans. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Padres have acquired veteran utility man Brandon Drury from the Cincinnati Reds. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com adds that San Diego’s No. 6 overall prospect in that of shortstop Victor Acosta is headed to Cincinnati in the deal.
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San Diego Padres still not done making deals
Drury might not be the big name such as Soto, Bell and Hader. But he’s going to provide a ton of flexibility for the Padres after they had to move off Luke Voit and Eric Hosmer to make Tuesday’s blockbuster trades work.
The 29-year-old former Atlanta Braves draft pick is in the midst of a career season. He also has the capability to play first base, second base, third base and multiple outfield positions.
- Brandon Drury stats (2022): .274 average, 20 HR, 59 RBI, .855 OPS
Drury will find himself all over the field for San Diego moving forward this season. It’s also clear that his status as an impending free agent did not impact the veteran’s value in a trade.
Cincinnati acquired San Diego’s sixth-ranked prospect in return. This comes after it picked up three of the Seattle Mariners’ top-five prospects in the Luis Castillo blockbuster last week. Acosta, 18, is currently playing rookie ball after the San Diego Padres signed the former No. 19 international prospect for $1.8 million back in 2021.