The San Diego Padres were dealt a brutal blow on the first day of September, as All-Star reliever Jason Adam suffered a quad tendon rupture on the mound during a grounder up the middle.
He is expected to miss the rest of the 2025 season, and potentially some of the start to the 2026 season as well. It's a long road to recovery, especially if the MRI imaging confirms the injury.
But for Adam, he's grateful for one thing amid his brutal injury. As Dennis Lin of The Athletic shared in his recent piece, Adam is thankful to A.J. Preller for trading for Mason Miller at the trade deadline.
Jason Adam Thanks A.J. Preller for Trading for Mason Miller
The Padres pulled off a blockbuster trade at the 2025 MLB trade deadline when they dealt Leo De Vries, a top-three prospect in baseball, to the Athletics for Mason Miller. Other players, like JP Sears, were involved in the trade, but Miller was the headliner.
For the Padres at the time, it seemed like a luxury pickup, as the Padres already had one of the best bullpens in baseball. Adding Miller was seen as redundant, since the bullpen in San Diego was already elite.
But, after Adam's injury, the move looks a lot more important than it already was. After the game in which he suffered the brutal injury, Adam spoke on the Miller trade and how grateful he is to Preller for pulling it off.
"I told (Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller) I'm really glad he went out and got Mason," Adam said. "This bullpen's so deep. Of all the bullpens in the league to not need me, it's this one. So, I'm excited to cheer those guys on."
MORE: Insider provides exciting update on Padres trade deadline acquisition
San Diego can handle the loss of Adam for the year much better than other teams. While Adam would be a team's top reliever, with the Padres, he's just one of many elite options out of the bullpen.
Miller (3.28 ERA) is just one of the relievers who will help make up for Adam's absence. Robert Suarez (2.95 ERA), Jeremiah Estrada (3.05 ERA), and Adrian Morejon (1.85 ERA) are elite relievers who'll help replace Adam.
It won't be an easy task, as Adam had a 1.93 ERA in 65 appearances for the Padres. The 34-year-old was one of the top relievers in baseball and was one of three All-Stars the Padres had in their bullpen.
He's going to be sorely missed in San Diego, but as Adam outlined, thanks in part to Preller's move to pick up Miller at the trade deadline, the Padres have the pieces needed to survive the absence of Adam.
It's a brutal injury for the Padres and Adam, and his recovery will hold him out for a long time. But, Adam still has a positive outlook on the Padres, especially thanks to Preller's trade to land Mason Miller at the end of July.
MORE MLB NEWS:
- Cardinals not expected to be competitive in 2026, according to insider
- Astros get Yordan Alvarez back in lineup for first time in 100 games
- One Jack Flaherty statistic that should concern Tigers fans
- Guardians jokingly thank Taylor Swift amid 2026 schedule release, engagement announcement
- Guardians' 2021 decision coming back to haunt them amid losing skid
- Cardinals' Willson Contreras apologized to coach he hit with his bat