The Padres moved a headline name, but a switch-hitting shortstop might steal the next one.
San Diego didn’t just trade away a headline. They traded away a conversation. When the Padres sent blue-chip infield prospect Leo De Vries to The Athletics in July 2025, the national takeaway was simple: star power out, win-now pitching in. But inside the organization, the calculation was more layered. If you move a prospect who commands that much oxygen, you’d better have another storyline ready to breathe life into the farm.