Former Yankees Pitchers Swap Places On NL Contender

One says goodbye, the other says hello. Former New York Yankees pitchers JP Sears and Ron Marinaccio were ships passing in the night Wednesday. The San Diego Padres recalled Sears from Triple-A El Paso while sending down Marinaccio.

The Padres acquired Sears before the July 31 MLB trade deadline in the blockbuster deal which also sent All-Star closer Mason Miller from the Athletics to San Diego.

Sears made his Padres debut on August 4, giving up five runs in five innings of work in a 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. That earned him a ticket to the minors.

He returned Wednesday and pitched six stellar innings, giving up one run four hits in the Padres' 8-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. He threw 95 pitches, 58 for strikes. Sears improved to 8-10 with a 4.94 ERA in 24 starts this season.

The southpaw made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Yankees and he turned heads during his short stay in the Bronx. He went 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven games, including two starts.

New York sent Sears to Oakland before the 2022 trade deadline in the deal which brought right-handers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the Yankees.

As for Marinaccio, he seemingly is a victim of the numbers game. He made three relief appearances this season for the Padres and didn't allow a run over 4 2/3 innings pitched.

The Yankees selected Marinaccio in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He played for New York from 2022 to 2024, posting a 3.22 ERA in 101 appearances. The Yankees waived Marianccio last September and he was selected by the Chicago White Sox.

He never took the mound on the South Side and the White Sox sold his contract to the Padres in January 2025. Marinaccio has been bouncing back and forth between San Diego and Triple-A El Paso this year. He's 6-0 with five saves and a 4.91 ERA in 35 appearances this year for the Chihuahuas.

The Padres enter play Thursday one game behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

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