The San Diego Padres are in an odd predicament, as they have pitching depth that is not flashy but rather serviceable. Another team around the league is looking for depth and has players the Padres could use to round out their offense, so how could a deal shape up? 

The Padres and Orioles became very familiar with one another this past season, as the Ramon Laureano/Ryan O’Hearn trade saw the Padres deal a staggering six prospects to the O’s.

The Orioles have made a flurry of moves to strengthen their team in aiming to compete for the AL East, adding Taylor Ward, Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, and Shane Baz. Even with bringing back Zach Eflin, the Orioles have been linked to the pitching market despite having five set starters.

Arms like Brandon Young, Tyler Wells, and Cade Povich could be on the outside looking in come spring training, but for Mike Elias and company, that still isn’t enough. Unlike the Padres, Baltimore also has a surplus of young infield talent, with Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo, Heston Kjerstad, and more all vying for playing time. Therefore, a trade could be made to bring in pitching depth.

San Diego needs a first-base/DH kind of bat, as Gavin Sheets profiles best as a DH despite his improvement defensively in left field last season.

With a starting outfield of Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr, the Padres aren’t in the hunt for a starting outfielder at the moment. An infield bat to replace Luis Arraez at first base is the most logical option in any trade situation, as internal options like Tirso Ornelas and Romeo Sanabria are either coming off down years or looked overmatched at the MLB level. With their pressing need for a power bat and Baltimore’s options of positional players not locked into a starting role, both front offices would be wise to entertain the possibilities. 

With any deal, it comes down to the kind of depth that the Orioles are pursuing. Does Mike Elias want to push all the chips to the center of the table, or add an arm more around the margins? Therefore, we have two hypothetical scenarios that can be formulated. Let’s examine. 

Scenario 1 – O’s aim big, land RHP Nick Pivetta from Padres

Would this be a major blow to the Padres’ pitching staff?

Perhaps, but dealing Nick Pivetta would allow the Padres to recoup some prospects or near-MLB-ready contributors that they could either keep or trade.

The Padres have made a habit of getting players in trades that they use to acquire more MLB talent, with Drew Thorpe being the prime example. In this scenario, San Diego sends away their Game 1 starter to the Orioles for a mixed return of prospects and MLB contributors. San Diego could land an MLB-ready player like Dylan Beavers or Coby Mayo as the headliner, with complementary pieces in the deal being the likes of Chayce McDermott, Trey Gibson, or Juaron Watts-Brown.

Baltimore would get itself another legitimate ace to go alongside Kyle Bradish and the revival of Trevor Rogers. 

In this scenario, San Diego sells high on Nick Pivetta’s breakout season, but the return would not be as exorbitant as other pitching trades, given Pivetta’s contract status.

Since he has an opt-out clause after the 2026 season, the Padres are dealing away one surefire year of Pivetta. However, with Baltimore being hesitant in any extension talks with their young core players, stacking the payroll now before any potential lockout could give them the best shot in a loaded AL East. A rotation of Bradish, Pivetta, Rogers, Shane Baz, and Zach Eflin/Dean Kremer certainly provides the O’s more of a fighting chance than the unction of Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton.

If Mike Elias really wants to build a contender, landing another playoff-caliber starter would certainly be a step towards doing so. 

Scenario 2 – O’s add around the edges, acquire LHP JP Sears from Padres

While JP Sears was an acquisition overshadowed by teammate Mason Miller, he still served as a quality fifth starter down the stretch.

Let’s not forget, Sears gutted out a 113-pitch performance in Game 162 to keep the Padres’ bullpen fresh for October. While Sears may not be the most inspiring name out there, there is still some quality stuff that the team can use. Sears was a dependable starter for the Athletics before the trade, not missing starts and giving the team consistent innings.

Baltimore acquiring him would be like the Cole Irvin trade a couple of seasons back, albeit to a more pitcher-friendly environment than Irvin pitched in. Sears would fit with the sort of left-handed starting pitcher mold that the Orioles seem to favor; as a matter of fact, his fastball and Trevor Rogers’ fastball are quite identical in iVB, horizontal break, vertical approach angle, and share the same axis. 

Sears has one remaining minor league option and could slide into the O’s rotation at Triple-A or the MLB level.

Remember, Trevor Rogers did not make the Orioles’ season-opening rotation, as he spent a month at Triple-A harnessing his command before returning to the Majors. Should the O’s swing a deal for Sears, they would likely need to send off a fringe 40-man arm and a lower-level prospect.

For hypotheticals, let’s say Baltimore sends Chayce McDermott and DSL infielder Hector Campusano to San Diego. Sears would provide Baltimore with left-handed starting depth, which they lack outside of Cade Povich. Sears could also be in a 2025 Kyle Hart-esque role where he serves as an emergency left-handed specialist with his breaking stuff against left-handed sluggers. Sears struck out 21.8% of opposing left-handed batters, walking only 4.2%. While this sort of move would not move the needle much for Baltimore, it technically counts as a depth addition for the O’s.

San Diego and Baltimore have depth in each other’s areas of need. A.J. Preller is still on the hunt for a power bat, and Mike Elias is still searching for starting pitching depth. There is a clear match on paper, so it now becomes a question of who makes the first move. 

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.