The San Diego Padres’ bullpen revamp continued on Tuesday with the acquisition of All-Star closer Tanner Scott from the Miami Marlins.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Padres and Marlins are finalizing the deal for Scott.
MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reported that the Padres will also receive Bryan Hoeing in exchange for prospects Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley, and Jay Beshears.
Scott was highly sought after by several playoff contenders, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies.
This acquisition comes just two days after the Padres secured Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three prospects. San Diego general manager A.J. Preller is known for his bold moves, and these trades for Scott and Adam highlight his willingness to be aggressive in pursuit of a playoff spot.
According to B/R’s Joel Reuter, three of the Padres’ top seven prospects—Snelling, Mazur, and Dylan Lesko—have been used in these trades. Snelling and Mazur were ranked No. 3 and 4 in the system, respectively.
The Padres have rebounded from a slow start and are now firmly in the NL playoff race. With a 57-51 record, they are tied with the New York Mets for the No. 2 wild card spot and are within 6.5 games of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Despite rotation depth being a priority, with Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Matt Waldron being the only starters with more than 71 innings pitched, the Padres are focused on building a dominant bullpen for the postseason. Scott, Adam, Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejon form a deep group of relievers.
Scott’s 1.18 ERA is the fourth-lowest among all relievers this season. The left-hander has 53 strikeouts and has allowed 19 hits across 45.2 innings in 44 appearances. Left-handed hitters have a .077/.234/.128 slash line in 47 plate appearances against him.