Padres News: Insider Labels Friars ‘Loser’ of 2023 Trade Deadline

An insider thinks the Padres made a mistake being buyers at the deadline.

According to MLB insider, Bob Nightengale, the Padres made a big mistake being buyers at this year’s deadline. On paper, considering the Padres’ probable financial problems after their television deal was nullified, the Padres should have been sellers. Their new acquisitions don’t make much sense considering the position they're in.

The Padres are yet to have a four-game winning streak this season, as Nightengale points out. They are 8.5 games back in the NL West and 4 games out of the Wild Card position. Unless the Padres have an incredible two months at the end of the season, they will miss the postseason, and go into history as one of the most underachieving teams.

A.J. Preller and the Padres could have obtained many great prospects for either Blake Snell or their top-notch closer Josh Hader. However, he didn’t, and it's difficult to understand why. Here's a part of what Nightengale had to say:

The Padres had spectacular trade chips in starter Blake Snell and All-Star Josh Hader, listened to a few casual offers, but instead of selling, actually added more pitching and offense, making their payroll even fatter.

It’s a massive gamble.

Perhaps even reckless.

If the Padres are sitting home this winter, without even making the postseason in an expanded field, they’ll forever be remembered as the most underachieving team in baseball history.

After the Padres traded for Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals in August 2022, the Padres depleted their minor league system. Preller missed a golden opportunity to replenish their farm system to sustain a winning tradition. "We just never got anything that was that compelling to push us," Preller said, per Nightengale.

Nightengale thought the Padres were reckless and took a huge risk by not selling at the deadline. They should have replenished their farm system and recognized their needs better. Instead, they're all in on trying to make the postseason.