The Padres did make a trade this weekend after all.
It might not be the last one.
The Padres acquired left-hander Sean Manaea from the A's for two prospects, Single-A infielder Euribiel Angeles and Triple-A pitcher Adrian Martinez. The Padres also will be receiving right-hander Aaron Holiday, who was Oakland's 13th-round draft pick last year.
Manaea had a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts (179 1/3 innings) for the A's in 2021 and has a 3.86 ERA over 129 games (128 starts) in his career. He would have led the Padres in starts and trailed only Joe Musgrove in innings last season.
The move completed early Sunday comes hours before the Padres play the A's in a spring training game. Padres manager Bob Melvin managed the A's from the middle of 2011 through last season.
"You see the durability, you see the numbers," Melvin said. "He's a terrific teammate. I've always called him the world's best teammate. ... He's got an infectious personality. He supports everybody on the team. He's always got a smile on his face, yet when he's on the mound he's a competitor."
Manaea will start for the Padres Sunday, as he was scheduled to do for the A's. Mike Clevinger, who was to start for the Padres, appears likely to begin the season on the injured list with right knee soreness.
"We'll back him up a little bit," Melvin said. "It felt like we were kind of in a rush job with him to begin with. So it allows us to kind of smooth things out and slow it down some. We don't feel like it's a significant thing, but it actually might be a little bit of a blessing because it did feel like we were kind of rushing him a little bit."
Clevinger has made one start this spring as he works back from Tommy John surgery in November 2020. He was expected to pitch the season's second game but be limited to three or four innings. MacKenzie Gore was the likely candidate to "piggyback" on his starts. Gore, the organization's top pitching prospect, tries to close out a fantastic spring Sunday when he pitches after Manaea.
The trade for Manaea may be a precursor to another deal, as the Padres have an abundance of starting pitchers, some of whom they are willing to trade. The club still seeks a left fielder and to unload at least some of first baseman Eric Hosmer's contract. Chris Paddack or Ryan Weathers have been of interest to other teams. Gore rebounding from the mechanical issues that interrupted '21 season in the minor leagues gives the Padres the option of moving some of their pitching depth.
The Padres on Saturday were involved in the late stages of talks with the Mets about a deal that would have sent starting pitcher Chris Paddack, reliever Emilio Pagàn and Hosmer (and a large portion of his contract) to the Mets. That deal ultimately fell apart.
Manaea is due $9.75 million in 2021 and is due to become a free agent after this season. His acquisition, without corresponding moves, would appear to push the Padres over the $230 million competitive balance tax threshold. Fangraphs had the team about $6 million shy of that mark before the acquisition of Manaea. Being over at the end of the season would require the Padres to pay a 30 percent tax on the overage.
