The 2021 deadline seems ages ago, and it wasn’t just hectic for the San Diego Padres, it was a full-on identity play. A.J. Preller shoved his chips in for bullpen help and treated live arms like currency. Mason Thompson was one of those chips, a big righty with a bowling-ball sinker and just enough prospect sheen to spark “what if” daydreams. Four years later, the verdict isn’t romantic: Washington outrighted him off the 40-man, and he chose free agency. The helium completely leaked out.
Call it a late-October footnote if you want, but it closes the loop on a classic Padres deadline bet.