The San Diego Padres’ season is steadily spiraling downward as the losses pile up.

Padre (and baseball) fans have turned their attention to the upcoming MLB Trade deadline.

Over the past few years, it has been A.J. Preller’s playground and the time of year that the G.M. further builds his legacy of being the most fearless big trade artist in the game.

Whether it was building a super pen one year, revitalizing the team another year by acquiring the best closer in baseball, among others, for a dozen players, or making the biggest deadline trade in history, no one commands the deadline quite like the Padres. For this decade, it has been almost exclusively a buyer. Yet this trade deadline is very different, as the Padres are likely to be sellers. Of course, the focus has been on the one player on the Friars who could command the biggest haul.

Recently, Derek Togerson of the On-Friar Podcast discussed the unthinkable trade: Mason Miller to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As you can imagine, hearing this, the pitchforks were being sharpened, and the torches were being lit. How could anyone conceive of a trade to the evil empire up the 5 freeway?  The best closer in baseball to a team that just signed Edwin Diaz to a mega deal this past offseason? To the team that acquires players like they’re playing in commissioner mode in Out of the Park/MLB the Show?

But it’s not out of the realm of possibility; in fact, the Padres under Preller have made two trades with the Dodgers.

Granted that neither worked out well for the Friars; Matt Kemp was a shell of himself in exchange for Yasmani Grandal, and no one remembers Matt Beaty‘s time with the Padres. But few teams have the prospects and capital to make such a deal for “The Reaper” work.

It’s been said already multiple times by multiple sources, but the Padres are going to be looking for a lot in exchange for their stud closer. There’s no set price tag being floated out there, but the rumors suggest it would have to be a minimum of two top 100 prospects plus more. One could say that Preller would be looking for a “king’s ransom” in exchange for the guy he traded the crown of his farm system, Leo DeVries, for.

If Andrew Friedman calls and inquires, A.J. Preller should reply that he doesn’t want a king’s ransom.

He wants a ransom worthy of two kings.

The kind of treasure that would make Scrooge McDuck drool.

The kind of deal Vito Corleone couldn’t refuse.

It’s not without precedent to see huge trades for top-flight closers where numerous top prospects (including top 100 ones) go. The Padres have experience with this twice, one in sending out a great closer (Craig Kimbrel) and another with acquiring a closer (Mason Miller). In the former’s case, the Red Sox did hand over two top 100 prospects, and in the latter, it was obviously Leo DeVries, now a top 5 prospect in all of baseball.

And yet, the Dodgers could meet that price tag.

They have a ton of top-flight prospects, and in key areas the Padres desperately need. However, Dodger prospects have a nasty tendency to be overhyped, with few of them becoming major contributors.

In fact, very few trades where L.A. sent great prospects out for superstars have worked out favorably for the opposing teams; one only has to ask the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals how their hauls for Mookie Betts, Max Scherzer, and Trea Turner worked out. No one sent to the opposing teams ended up becoming an all-star, and so the Padres would have to make sure that whoever they’re looking for in this deal with the Devil has been scouted thoroughly. However, in this simulation, Friedman is willing to throw as many chips into the pot to call on Preller’s demands. And as such, this news breaks:

The Padres send Mason Miller to the Dodgers for DH Josue De Paula, OFs Zyhir Hope & Ching Hsien Ko, RHPs River Ryan & Roki Sasaki, and LHP Jackson Ferris

Six players for the best closer in baseball sounds ridiculous, let alone the Dodgers’ 1st, 5th, 7th, 11th & 14th best prospect, along with a major leaguer. However, this is what two king’s ransoms will legitimately look like for the best closer in baseball, and what it would take to reload the Padres in a big way.

Roki Sasaki: Łęt it never be said that Preller doesn’t get the guys he covets. The 2024 offseason in San Diego was dominated by the Japanese phenom, who eventually decided to sign up north. Since then, Sasaki has been more misses than hits, but has shown signs of becoming the player drooled over by MLB scouts. However, he doesn’t seem to handle the bright lights of L.A. as well as other players, with even his manager noting something’s not right there. In this scenario, he moves down the 5 to work with Niebla and into a far friendlier and more low-key environment, much like his home team in Japan.

River Ryan: The Padres reacquire a throwaway piece who has become a top-flight prospect. He’s recovered from Tommy John and is ready to contribute on the major league level with a strong fastball/slider combo and an approaching plus combo of cutter/curverball. He slots in immediately into the starting rotation.

Jackson Ferris: Last year’s minor league pitcher of the year for the Dodger franchise, A more finesse pitcher with a low 90s fastball combo (2 and 4 seamer) and a good slider, but he needs to work on his curveball and changeup as well as repeating his mechanics more effectively. He has 4th starter potential and is a southpaw, and working with Niebla should alleviate a lot of those problems.

Ching Hsien Ko: An 18&U star with Taiwan (alongside Padre prospect Lan Hong Su), the 19-year-old is already 6-foot-3, 215 lbs with an advanced approach and outstanding hit and power tools. He is someone you can dream on reasonably to become a great corner outfielder, but has a ways to go. He’s the kind of lottery ticket Preller thrives on.

Zyhir Hope: An outfielder built like an NFL running back, Hope is more than ready to contribute at the major league level as a corner outfielder. The left-handed hit produces outstanding power and bat speed, producing 21 home runs already in 2026, and has the defensive chops to succeed on the field. He does produce a fair amount of hit and miss in his game, but the offensive skill set is there.

Josue De Paula: The best prospect in the Dodger system has a lot of similarities to Juan Soto and Yordan Alvarez; he has an outstanding approach to hitting and controls the strike zone like Soto, with excellent power and hits to all fields much like Alvarez. He is also a surprisingly advanced base stealer, but very limited defensively.

In one trade, the Padres get three major league-ready starting pitchers, a starting left fielder, a starting designated hitter, and a talented prospect. This would revitalize their team.

Obviously, this is an unlikely deal; the Dodgers have a very 2000s New York Yankee approach to roster flaws (If there’s a problem, throw a wallet at it; if the problem persists, find another wallet), but unlike the Evil Empire, they’re producing one of the deepest and best farm systems at the same time.

However, this is a massive haul to trade, let alone within the division. The Padres would be hesitant to trade the best closer in baseball to their primary rival.

At its core, however, this is the kind of deal Preller should be looking to make for Mason Miller; if you’re going to trade the best at his position in baseball with years of cheap control, you need to be looking to fill as many holes in the long term as humanly possible. Few teams could do that better than the L.A. Dodgers.

Loren Casuto

A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.

When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.