It was one name listed among several transactions on Thursday but this one stung just a bit more for Padres executive A.J. Preller. Catcher Austin Nola was optioned to Triple-A as Luis Campusano returned from the injured list and with the move came a small acknowledgment of a 2020 trade that didn't work out.
As the Padres were making a Wild Card push in the covid shortened season, Austin Hedges and Francisco Mejia weren't cutting it offensively at the catching position. Preller had his eye on a young backstop with the Seattle Mariners, Austin Nola. He was hitting .306 for Seattle and looked like a bona fide star in the making behind the dish.
Three years later, that feels like a lifetime ago.
The Padres sent four prospects to the Mariners including 2022 AL All-Star Ty France and standout reliever Andrew Munoz. Catcher Luis Torrens and outfielder Taylor Trammel were also sent to Seattle.
Preller spoke with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and tried to identify some positives from the deal gone wrong.
“Like all the deals that we’ve made, you look back, we’re constantly looking back, reviewing and saying, ‘OK, was our process good, was our evaluation good?’ That deal, the biggest part was getting a catcher that we felt was on the upswing. He was new to the position, starting to play really well in Seattle and figure some things out. He’s had some moments here with us, but I think he’ll be the first to tell you this year and for the last couple of years — there were some injuries — it just hasn’t been a level of production that he expected of himself and we expect from him.”
Nola played in a career-high 110 games in 2022 but has never regularly come close to playing 100 games in a season. Injuries are certainly part of the story. A broken finger in 2021 and a fractured nose this spring has cost him some playing time. But overall his struggles appear to be his own.
This likely won't be the last time fans see Austin Nola in a Padre uniform. The hope is that a few months back at AAA can get the one time top prospect back on track.
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