At the MLB trade deadline, the San Diego Padres were the most active team and made the biggest deals. While Mason Miller was the headliner, the other moves the Padres made were equally important as Miller's.
Freddy Fermin has been a huge improvement at catcher, but the Padres' deal with the Baltimore Orioles for Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn has looked like one of their best trades at the end of July.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com provided an exciting update on a Padres trade deadline pickup. San Diego will have to decide whether to keep him around in 2026, and based on his production since the trade, it's a no-brainer, which Feinsand mentioned.
Padres Trade Pickup Working Out Perfectly
A.J. Preller and the Padres will have to decide whether to bring back Laureano in the offseason. But instead of a free agent deal, the Padres could pick up his one-year, $6.5 million option. As Feinsand outlines, it's an easy decision for Preller.
"Since the trade, Laureano has four homers, 15 RBIs and a .942 OPS in 22 games with San Diego," Feinsand writes, "making it a near certainty that the Padres will pick up his option for next season."
Laureano will be 31 years old at the beginning of 2026, and will cost just $6.5 million if the Padres decide to pick up his option. He's been incredible for the Padres in his limited time with the team, and there's no reason not to sign him long-term.
He's in the midst of a breakout season, hitting .300 on the year between the Padres and the Orioles. His 104 hits, 21 home runs,61 runs scored, 21 doubles, two triples, 66 RBIs, and .914 OPS are all close to being career highs.
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The veteran outfielder has been in the Majors since 2018 and is having his best offensive season by far. His 151 OPS+ shows how great he's been compared to the league average hitter in 2025. With just the Padres, his 171 OPS+ is even more impressive.
Through 106 games this season, Laureano has 3.5 WAR, tied for the most in his big league career for a single season. It ties his 2019 mark, which was accomplished in 123 games.
It's been an incredible trade for the Padres. He likely was going to have his option picked up, but this update from Feinsand, an MLB insider, all but confirms the Padres will keep Laureano for 2026. While beyond is a question, if he continues playing like he has, it'll be hard to justify letting him depart after the 2026 season.
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