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Aug 9, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller (22) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images David Frerker-Imagn Images

Former A's Finding Success with San Diego Padres

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Dylan Quinn | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The San Diego Padres are one of the best teams in baseball right now, and it's partially thanks to some former A's players who have been key factors to their recent success. Although all three players were acquired mid-season, the spark they've added to this Padres squad is impressive and will set them up to make a good postseason run.

The team sits at 74-57, which is tied for the NL West lead in first place. The Padres have been very impressive, but they still have to continue winning games if they want to beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first place spot.

Before the deadline, the Padres acquired closer Mason Miller from the A's, and also included in that deal was southpaw JP Sears. San Diego had to part with their highest-ranked prospect, Leo De Vries, but the 18-year-old just got promoted to Double-A, so it'll be a little while until he's an player impact at the big league level.

Since joining San Diego, Miller has tossed nine innings for the team in nine appearances, and has only allowed runs in one of those outings. His ERA with the club sits at 2.00, which improved from his time in West Sacramento, where the flamethrower held a 3.76 ERA.

His ability to perform well in high-leverage situations will certainly help San Diego hold onto late-inning leads as they look to win lots of important games coming up for them.

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Former A's outfielder, Ramon Laureano has also been a big factor in the impressive Padres lineup. Since joining the team, he's batted .325 with a .942 OPS and nine extra-base hits in 80 at-bats. He now plays alongside some big stars in the game like Fernando Tatís Jr., Manny Machado, Luis Arraez, Xander Bogaerts, and Ryan O'Hearn.

In 2023, the A's designated Laureano for assignment, as the outfielder posted a rough .645 OPS in 225 at-bats. The Guardians would then take a chance on Laureano, and he posted a .724 OPS, which is about league average.

After a rough start to 2024, The Guardians gave up on Laureano, and then the Braves would turn him into a stud. Laureano posted an .832 OPS and a .296 AVG during his time in Atlanta, and it sure carried over to his time in Baltimore this year. The Padres acquired Laureano at this year's deadline after batting .290 with the Orioles.

The final former Athletic on the Padres is the crafty left-hander, JP Sears. The southpaw spent parts of four seasons with the A's, and was always a key part of their rotation. Even though his career ERA with the A's was 4.59, he was always healthy and took the ball every fifth day. His time with the A's would end as he was dealt with Miller to the Padres to provide some depth to their rotation.

Sears holds a 4.91 ERA in two starts with the Padres, although it's extremely inflated by one bad start. In his most recent outing, he tossed six innings, allowing just one earned, and punched out two Giants hitters. The lefty is scheduled to start tonight for the Padres as they take on the second-place AL West club, the Seattle Mariners--another familiar foe for Sears.

Although some of these guys have bigger roles than others, it's great to see these former A's players off to some success on their new clubs. Who knows, maybe they could end up with a ring when it's all said and done in October.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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