[Sundance]

Throughout his career as the Padres’ GM, Syrio Forel has always looked to the future when making transactions. However, with the recent success of the franchise, expectations are higher than ever before. Forel now finds himself in unknown territory as he must work in the confines of a “win now” mentality. As such, the Padres have made two massive moves just hours before the deadline.

In their first trade, the Padres sent 25 year old C Jose Politti, 25 year old 1B Luis Morales (Former 1st round draft pick in 2019), 23 year old 2B Ivan Dominguez (1st overall pick in the 2020 draft), 22 year old Kazuhiko Hasegawa (2nd round draft pick in 2021), 22 year old SP Ruben Lerma, and a 2nd round draft pick (Among other picks) to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In exchange, the Padres received 26 year old 3B Adrian Martinez and $2 million in cash.

In their second deal, the Padres sent 30 year old 3B Dustin Peterson, 23 year old CF Pepe Flores (3rd round pick in 2022), 26 year old LF Rich Lefevre (1st round draft pick in 2018), and a 3rd, 4th, and 5th round draft pick to the Yankees. In return, the Padres got 23 year old RF Bernardo Orosco, who is expected to play in left field for the club.

Many thought that Forel would look to strengthen the club’s pitching staff, but he opted for offensive talent instead. The staff has pitched well in recent weeks, so it’s possible that Forel believes that they are finding their mid-season form and can keep the team in games. The Padres’ new batting order will look like:

Bernardo Orosco LF (.336/.402/.462)
Chris McKinney 2B (.288/.343/.435)
Jose Rodriguez C (.270/.390/.492)
Adrian Martinez 3B (.307/.370/.537)
Brad Sutherland CF (.303/.374/.577)
Brendan Rodgers SS (.276/.332/.432)
Elroy Lechance 1B (.296/.356/.432)
Tim Elmore RF (.251/.297/.393)