San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller looks on before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on July 24, 2020. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Padres Trade Deadline Addition Called AJ Preller 'Nuts' After Blockbuster Deals

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Ramon Laureano didn't think he was going to be traded. At least, the Padres' outfielder told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, it made sense to fly with his teammates in Chicago so he "would have easy access to either coast or anywhere in between" in case the Orioles did trade him.

When his Baltimore Orioles teammate, Ryan O'Hearn, caught wind that the Milwaukee Brewers were among the teams trying to acquire him before the July 31 deadline, O'Hearn did not fly with the rest of the Orioles in advance of their Aug. 1 game against the Cubs. Neither did then-Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton, according to Rosenthal.

Morton was eventually traded to the Tigers. O'Hearn and Laureano, of course, were traded to the Padres.

Count Laureano among those who couldn't believe what the Padres got at the trade deadline. As he said to Rosenthal: “(Orioles general manager Mike) Elias told me, ‘You and Ryan.’ I was like, ‘What the f—? That’s crazy, bro.’ I told A.J. (Preller), ‘You’re nuts, bro. That’s nuts.’ ”

The Padres traded Boston Bateman, Tyson Neighbors, Tanner Smith, Cobb Hightower, Brandon Butterworth and Victor Figueroa to the Baltimore Orioles for Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano, and cash.

Limited mostly to a reserve role in his first 12 games after the trade, O'Hearn hit .172 (5 for 29) with one home run. Since he was moved into the starting lineup Aug. 17, O'Hearn is slashing .353/.421/.588 through Tuesday.

Laureano's transition was much smoother. After going 0 for 4 in his Padres debut on Aug. 1, he slashed .345/.396/.655 in his next 23 games (through Tuesday). Laureano's six home runs and 20 RBIs lead all Padres hitters this month.

That level of production will be difficult, if not impossible, for Laureano to sustain. The Padres will accept it if he "regresses" to the .290/.355/.529 hitter he was in Baltimore — a facsimilie of the production the team has sought from the left field/DH spot since Jurickson Profar left for Atlanta.

Remarkably, Laureano and O'Hearn were not even the biggest headline-grabbing acquisitions the Padres made in advance of the trade deadline.

"No one pushed their chips in more at the deadline than [AJ] Preller, who was completely fearless, making five trades, involving 22 players," wrote Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "He has watched the newcomers turn a contender into one of the scariest teams in baseball. The bullpen has been insane, yielding an MLB-best 2.05 ERA the past six weeks, including a 2.97 ERA for the season, and now has another lethal weapon in 102-mph reliever Mason Miller. It’s the best bullpen in the game."