Padres Land Mason Miller and JP Sears in Blockbuster Deal | Fantasy Baseball Implications for Padres and Athletics

Right when I got done with my last MLB trade breakdown, another blockbuster trade was reported.

This is a big one though, so it gets its own story. Let's discuss the trade between the Padres and Athletics.

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The Trade

San Diego landed reliever Mason Miller and starter JP Sears from the Athletics. Top-end prospect Leodalis De Vries is part of the return, and is joined by Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez. 

San Diego needed pitching help and certainly got it, but it also cost them some valuable prospects. 

Both teams should benefit from this deal in the long run, and the Athletics might end up as the winners of the deal.

Padres' Return

Miller is an electric arm and is owned in nearly every fantasy league already. I'm curious to see if he closes for the Padres, or if he and Robert Suarez split the closer role.

Miller will remain a decent fantasy asset even if he's not closing games because of his big strikeout numbers. He'll be dropped in a fair amount of leagues if he's just a setup man though. Miller could be used in a multi-inning role to possibly regain some fantasy value back.

Whatever the case might be, I think Miller needs to at least be owned in all leagues for the time being. We can assess things after the deadline and as time passes, but you at least need to give Miller a shot.

Sears is a sneaky good pickup for the Padres' rotation. He's currently rostered in 28% of leagues.

I'd think he would immediately slot into the starting rotation, but the Padres have five other starting pitchers to choose from right now. Another trade could open a spot for Sears.

He's already a streaming option and now will have a better fantasy outlook while pitching for a better team. Sears is a name to keep in mind over his next couple starts, and he could become a deep-league keeper and possible standard league option too.

Miller is 1-2 with a 3.76 earned run average over 38 1/3 innings and 38 appearances this season. He has 59 strikeouts, 18 walks and a .163 average against him.

Sears is 7-9 with a 4.95 ERA over 22 starts this season. He's covered 111 innings, allowing 63 runs (61 earned) on 112 hits and 29 walks. Sears has struck out 97 batters.

Athletics' Return

De Vries is the No. 3 prospect in baseball and takes over as the Athletics' No. 1 guy… by a lot.

The 18-year-old is already in High-A and has a 2027 ETA. He's a switch-hitter and plays shortstop for now.

De Vries has just a .241 average, but a .359 on-base percentage across his first 157 minor league games, but he's young for his current level of play, so struggles are to be expected. He has 41 doubles, 19 homers and seven triples among his 147 hits, while also posting 84 RBIs, 109 runs scored, 102 walks, 21 stolen bases and 156 strikeouts.

He should be rostered in every dynasty league and now might see his ETA move up now that he's part of a worse organization who can afford to push prospects through the ranks quicker.

Nett was the Padres' No. 3 prospect. The 23-year-old pitcher has been working in Double-A and has a 2025 ETA.

Across 47 starts and 54 minor league appearances in four seasons, Nett has a 12-8 record and 3.79 ERA. He's covered 182 2/3 innings, tallying 209 strikeouts and 113 walks along the way, while having a .225 average against him.

He's another good dynasty asset to have around, and could be in the big leagues before the end of this season now.

Baez was the Padres' No. 13 prospect before the trade. The 22-year-old has been working in Double-A and has a 2026 ETA. 

Baez is 19-15 with a 3.13 ERA over 388 minor league innings in five seasons. He has 375 strikeouts, 143 walks and a .220 average against him.

I think there's a chance Baez debuts later this season, or otherwise is called up early in the 2026 season.

Nunez is 26 years old and has four MLB appearances this season already. He posted a 3.86 ERA over 4 2/3 innings, while having two strikeouts, four walks and a .250 average against him.

Over 333 1/3 minor league innings, Nunez has a 25-23 record and 3.89 ERA. He's made no starts since 2019. Nunez has 379 strikeouts, 219 walks and a .224 average against him.

He could be called up to the big leagues right away, and I definitely think he'll be up before the end of this season again. Nunez doesn't have a ton of fantasy/dynasty value, but maybe he could work into a high-leverage role with the Athletics, so he's worth tracking.