Front Row Seat: Padres win their 1st series following trade deadline frenzy

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering either subscribing to support our work for as little as $5/month or dropping a tip in the jar.

Section 1904

“The Padres are no longer top-heavy.”

Dylan from Letters to A.J. joins John to reflect on the Padres’ trade deadline.

Section 1904John Gennaro

Losing interest in the Padres

John Gennaro talks to a former Padres fan who doesn’t like the direction the team is going in since A.J. Preller was hired.

Section 1904John Gennaro

San Diego Padres

Cease's scoreless start affirms Padres' Deadline decision - Padres.com
Cease is slated to become a free agent this winter, which is why the Padres considered moving him in the first place – the idea being that they could recoup some value for the future.

But Preller wouldn’t flinch from his high price tag. Cease had struggled for much of the season, entering play Sunday with a 4.79 ERA. But his peripheral numbers indicated he has been much better than that. He’s been an ace before, and the Padres operated as though they believed he’d be an ace again – soon.

Tom Krasovic: Early faith in A.J. Preller continues to pay off for Padres - San Diego Union-Tribune
They said GMs would become reluctant to trade with Preller.

Yeah, right. Preller has become the highest volume blockbuster trader of this era.

Deeper into the GM’s tenure, other teams often raised another false notion — that Preller had dealt so many prospects, the farm system would stink for several years, hindering his ability to continue to trade prospects for big leaguers.

Instead, after trading a stunning number of minor leaguers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Preller backed up the farm truck again in 2022, 2024 and now 2025. In return, he got a bunch of big leaguers.

Nestor Cortes arrives, Randy Vásquez optioned as Padres shuffle starting pitchers - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Thursday trade that brought him from the Brewers is reuniting Cortes with former Yankees teammates Michael King, Wandy Peralta and JP Sears and childhood friend Manny Machado, who he played with briefly in Baltimore. He also played with Fernando Tatis Jr. in the Dominican Republic in 2019 when their Estrellas team won the championship.

“There’s so many people here,” he said. “… So it hasn’t been a super change for me. Obviously, there’s a lot of guys with big names like Yu (Darvish). When I saw him, I was a little impressed. But hopefully I just fit right in seamlessly and take care of business.”

To make room for Cortes on the active roster, the Padres optioned Randy Vásquez to Triple-A.

First Impressions - Letters to A.J.
The Cardinals put one hard hit ball in play, made weak contact six other times (all for outs), and struck out another nine times. Cease now has the most strikeouts (99) in innings 1-3 of any pitcher in baseball. On Sunday he was more dominant the second time through the order.

In the first half he crossed a hidden threshold of pitching two pitches over 80% of the time without a secondary pitch reaching 10% usage. He is clearly trying to diversify his arsenal.

A.J. Preller, San Diego Padres go all-in at MLB trade deadline - ESPN
But Preller, like Beane before him, prefers to focus on what he gets rather than what he gives, and how this year's prize, Miller, joins Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Josh Hader, Juan Soto, Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez and Tanner Scott – players who came back in deals and, in varying ways, made the Padres matter.

"You obviously are always trying to make good trades," Preller said. "But I think we understand you got to give up good players to get good players. And in the end, if it puts your team in a good position for now and for the future, that's a positive outcome."

Four and a half years ago, Preller landed Darvish, Snell and Musgrove in a span of three weeks. Three years ago, he got Hader and Soto within two days. Last year, he acquired Cease, Arráez and Scott over the course of four months. This year, he set a new bar, using the few resources he had to turn a top-heavy roster into one of the National League's deepest.

Odds & Ends

Nick Canepa: Saluting Antonio Gates, Hall of Famer and one of San Diego’s best - San Diego Union-Tribune
What Gates accomplished was all about his drive. He was undrafted, a rookie free agent, who was fortunate. He chose the right camp, a place where he was allowed to sharpen his skills and grow. That may not have happened elsewhere. And there were quarterbacks Drew Brees and Rivers to provide fuel for that engine.

In Gates’ first year, 2003, he caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns. His second season: 81 catches, 964 yards, 13 touchdowns. Pro Bowl. First team All-Pro, his first of three in a three-year run.

Inter Miami says Lionel Messi muscle injury 'minor' - ESPN
Messi sustained the strain early in the match Saturday after coming into contact with Necaxa's Raúl Sánchez and Alexis Peña when dribbling into the box. During the play, Messi stumbled to the ground and later slammed his hand on the turf in frustration, before seeking medical attention a couple of minutes later.

He officially left the pitch in the 11th minute and headed directly to the locker room.

After the game, head coach Javier Mascherano mentioned the injury might not be that serious because he wasn't in pain but rather felt discomfort.

Encinitas’ Levi Slawson wins US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach - San Diego Union-Tribune
Herdy won his semifinal heat against Rodrigues to earn a spot in the finals against Slawson, who won his semifinal heat against Japanese surfer Hiroto Ohhara, who won the event in 2015.

The final was a nail-biter, Slawson leading the entire heat until Herdy took a last-second wave, the surfers and crowd awaiting the score to drop.

When Herdy’s score came up short, the San Diego surfer was lifted on the shoulders of supporters, taking the podium as the US Open of Surfing winner. He sat down for a second to gain his composure, overwhelmed with emotion following his win.

NFL deals Red Zone, NFL Media assets to ESPN in blockbuster billion-dollar agreement: Sources - The Athletic
The NFL and ESPN reached a blockbuster agreement that will place many of the league’s top media holdings with the sports network in exchange for equity in ESPN that is potentially worth billions, sources briefed on the agreement told The Athletic.

An official announcement is expected next week. Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has its earnings call on Wednesday.

NFLPA elects David White to serve as interim executive director after Lloyd Howell's resignation - Yahoo Sports
White was a finalist for the role in 2023 before losing to Howell at the time. He is the former executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), worked as board chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and is a strategic adviser to a venture capital firm. He is also the CEO of 3CG Ventures, an executive coaching and strategic consulting firm.

According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, a voting player representative from all 32 teams participated in the vote to elect White on Sunday night. There were multiple interviews with internal and external candidates within the past few weeks. It’s unclear how long White will stay in the role.

Kenny Bednarek shoves winner Noah Lyles after spicy 200M final at USATF National Championships - Yahoo Sports
Noah Lyles edged rival Kenny Bednarek in a spicy 200-meter final at the USATF National Championships Sunday that concluded with Bednarek shoving Lyles in the back.

After the race's conclusion, tension between the pair carried over into a post-race interview with NBC.

The high-stakes matchup was the latest between the two world-class sprinters. Lyles is a three-time world champion (2019, 2022, 2023) in the event and defeated Bednarek at the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials ahead of the Paris Games.

It Was Never About Women's Sports - Sports Politika
Listen, there are real threats facing women’s sports, such as sexual abuse scandals, pay disparities, and limited access in developing nations. However, the notion that trans athletes are among those threats is nothing more than a myth. Trans athletes make up an incredibly small percentage of competitors—less than 0.002% of NCAA athletes—and the vast majority do not dominate their sports or win championships. In Minnesota, where trans inclusion has been standard for over a decade, there’s been no seismic shift in women’s sports, just more girls getting the chance to play the sports they love.

Alright, that's going to do it for today's edition of Front Row Seat. I'll be back tomorrow, and every weekday, to try and make it easier for you to follow the news.

Feedback is welcome (in the comments below, in my inbox or on the Section 1904 Discord server) and feel free to send me any links that you think I missed and I'll try to include them in a future newsletter.