Padres Trade 10 Draft Picks From 2022, 2023 In Flurry Of Activity
Image credit: LHP Robby Snelling (Photo by Eddie Kelly)
When the Padres drafted Grand Canyon outfielder Homer Bush Jr. in the fourth round in 2023, team officials touted him as arguably the fastest player in the draft.
One year later, he was certainly one of the fastest players from his draft class to be traded.
The Padres dealt Bush, along with their first-, third- and sixth-rounders from the 2023 draft—as well as their top three picks from 2022—in a flurry of activity leading up to the 2024 trade deadline.
When the dust settled, the Padres had traded 10 players they drafted in 2022 or 2023, including four day one picks.
Two days before the July 30 trade deadline, San Diego bundled Bush with 2022 first-round righthander Dylan Lesko and 2023 third-round catcher J.D. Gonzalez to the Rays for 33-year-old closer Jason Adam.
Relief was an overriding theme of the Padres’ deadline strategy. At the buzzer, San Diego shipped four prospects to the Marlins for 30-year-old lefthander Tanner Scott, an all-star closer and pending free agent.
In the deal, the Padres surrendered 2022 supplemental first-round lefthander Robby Snelling and 2022 second-round righthander Adam Mazur, as well as former Duke infielders Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears, lower-bonus picks from 2022 and 2023.
Back in May, the Padres traded three prospects to the Marlins for two-time batting champion first baseman Luis Arraez. In that deal, San Diego parted with 2023 first-round outfielder Dillon Head and 2022 college picks Nathan Martorella and Jakob Marsee.
Lesko, Snelling and Head, all drafted with top 50 overall picks, have the highest ceilings among traded prospects.
Lesko was one of the top pitchers in the 2022 draft but had Tommy John surgery that spring. Two years later, he was still struggling to regain his touch at High-A this season.
Snelling remained healthy but scuffled this season. Still, he was the BA Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2023, when he reached Double-A as a 19-year-old.
Head played just 24 games at Low-A this season before having season-ending hip surgery.
In some ways, the struggles of Lesko and Snelling should be expected. San Diego pushes its prospects aggressively, viewing the challenge of facing older competition—and occasional failure—as a key to player development.
Past Padres prospects such as CJ Abrams, Jackson Merrill and James Wood were better for the challenge. Time will tell if the same holds true for the prospects traded this year, especially high-ceiling high schoolers Lesko, Snelling and Head.
Additional reporting by Jeff Sanders
