The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off Sunday morning with a bang, agreeing to a deal for veteran reliever Jason Adam. MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided broke the news of the deal on social media.
Trade: The San Diego Padres are acquiring reliever Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays, pending medical review, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 28, 2024
The Padres sent back prospects Dylan Lesko, Homer Bush Jr., and JD Gonzalez to Tampa Bay to acquire the right-hander. Insider Joel Sherman had the return for Tampa Bay from the Padres.
Jason Adam from Rays to the Padres for Dylan Lesko, Homer Bush Jr. and JD Gonzalez
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 28, 2024
It’s quite the haul for the Rays as Lesko was the Padres’ No. 3 prospect, Bush was San Diego’s No. 8, and Gonzalez was No. 12, per @MLBPipeline.
It was a lot for the Padres to send out for Adam but he has been electric this season for Tampa Bay. On the year, he holds an ERA of 2.49 over 47 appearances. Adam has struck out 50 batters and holds a WHIP of 0.89 for the year.
Lesko has only pitched in Single-A so far, posting an ERA of 6.46 over 16 starts. He is a former first-round pick of the Padres, going No. 15 overall to San Diego in the 2022 MLB Draft.
He has a fastball that can touch around 98 mph but his best pitch is his changeup. Lesko has the ability to make batters swing silly due to the movement he has on it.
Bush also has only played in Single-A, hitting .272 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. He has strong instincts in the outfield on defense and has the look to become an impactful player at the big league level one day.
Gonzalez has hit .205 with zero home runs and 35 runs batted in for the Padres Single-A affiliate. He is only 18 years old and has a rocket of an arm behind the plate. Coming out of Puerto Rico in 2023, Gonzalez has established himself as one of the more intriguing prospects in the MLB Pipeline.
San Diego had been looking for bullpen help and Adam should be able to provide them with a big boost. The Padres have been ascending in the standing of late, now sitting with a record of 57-50 on the year. The team has found a rhythm and is riding it into the trade deadline.
This move is a way for them to put themselves into position for the stretch run to compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. San Diego has a very solid team and should be a force to deal with heading into the crucial part of the MLB season.
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