The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list.
San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut last night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Yesterday pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom 10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage.
This is the first time in two and a half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter.
The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation.
San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They currently have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox.
That’d point to the series finale on August 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’d be on six days rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
DFA Matsui. Eat the contract. And while you are it, why the heck is Iglesias being used and putting O’Hearn and Sheets on the bench? Glove only and designated bunter. Preller went and got hitters so we wouldn’t have to watch this guy in the lineup every other day.
Manny is DH, where to you play O’Hearn?
They used Iglesias other day as the DH. What the hell for? They probably need to dump Johnson and get RHB somewhere who can play some IF too. Ever hear of someone named. DJ?
Sears for pennies
Wowsers, that was fast!
Matsui isnt that bad
Hand the ball to the next man up…
Return of the King “soon”
I thought JP was going to be a fixture in Pads rotation for next 4 years?
Maybe, maybe not! Not much room for him this year (health permitting), I’m glad he came with an Option available.
Yeah the back end of the rotation is far from settled. Would have been preferable if Sears be an upgrade over Vasquez, Hart, Waldron
No doubt after spending time with Niebla and Joe Musgrove he will be penciled in at the 5 spot in 26. This was just to get a fresh arm because King was taking that slot next turn around.
King, Pivetta, Cease and Yu will make a formidable front 4 with Vazquez, Cortez and JP (Hart even) for a revolving door until rosters expand to keep an eye xtra BP arm.
Makes a lot of sense actually.
Not during a pennant race. I’m sure they got him more for the future than this season. I’m holding out hope that Niebla can work some magic.
Not the first time things didn’t go as planned for someone named Sears
Seriously. Corporations are people too. Good ol’ Corporate Personhood.
Sears (and Roebuck) had a pretty good run actually. All good things ….
Brew – past prospects update tonight – our boy Marsee is doing well for himself, Gore got blown up and Bergert did well.
Gore isn’t elite as some keep suggesting. Bergert has ace stuff. Nice to hear about Marsee! E. Nuñez got hammered btw
Worried about how bad Bergert looked in recent years. Maybe he was hurt but def set back until his call up which is going well. Recall a lot of guys with the flash in the pan (Paddock / Ankiel), so I’ll keep watching all the prospects and see what time shows. I had him as a solid 4, maybe 3 but maybe out of the game in a year – who knows.
Not wishing any former SD prospect bad luck. I have fun checking their stats on milb or other teams.
Looking for the game within the game approach.
Cal didn’t look too good either.
JP Sears is legit one of the worst starters in the league, if not the worst. Have no clue why the Padres would want him in the trade, unless the A’s were only willing to trade Miller if they took Sears off their hands too.
A’s had been shopping Sears, so they saw the Miller deal as a way to offload him. It’s true what the article said – his strong point is durability, but that’s canceled out by his hittability. He’s basically the healthy version of Paddack.
Maybe SP depth. Just speculating. Legit starters (as you referred) have a place. Especially when they come with options. If you are going to get a throw in get one with options.
In hindsight, I wished they had used all that trade capital and joined the Minnesota fire sale. Instead of the A’s deal figure out how to get Ryan and a mid level reliever.
Ryan would be better for the team, but knowing he didn’t move and every GM with a heartbeat called Minny… I think it just proves the “ask” was too high.
What possessed sd to trade the next tatis ?? Awful
Chandler – referring to any 18 year old in A ball as the next Tatis (or any similar player) is waaaaaay speculative.
Maybe, and I say maybe, he is the 18 year old version but seriously, the 25 year old has a long way to go.
A pennant. We went all in again. We’re due
A pennant? Sd just optioned 1 of the 2 guys they traded leo for. after 1 game . Smh
Should’ve got red hot shea langeliers added him to mason miller. Could’ve used those prospects traded for fermin plus another pieces
Good. Guy’s a terrible pitcher. Might be a decent bench player.
So here we are. Apparently, Shildt likes Laureano and Fermin half the time. Uses Miller once in a blue moon but doesn’t really need him anyway. Sears is jettisoned to El Paso. Shildt likes Iglesias over O’hearn. Gave up two starting pitchers we could use. One just went toe to toe with Crochet. And we hope King, Cortes and Darvish can all pitch like their baseball cards say they can even though they are all coming off injuries. I think the rockstar parade can be muted for the time being.
Dan, it’s early. Match ups maybe? Also, showing clubhouse that the 100 game guys aren’t being thrown out in the trash, maybe?
With Jose, he is the only guy to play 3b to rest Manny so, if the priority is to give Manny a day off, the only solution.
I am glad you are here to explain to Dan. I would only add to tell him to take a deep breath. It has only been a few games.
I am fine with that lineup. Machado is 32 and needs half days off. If Darvish pitches like last start with Diaz, than Diaz can be Yu’s personal catcher.
Exactly. That’s the problem. Nothing beyond Iglesias a non-hitter to be the RHB as a DH, PH or IF replacement. Look at tonight’s lineup. Take Laureano out stick Sheets and you are looking at the lineup a week ago. A horrible 7-8. What happens late in the game and they need a big hit and Iglesias comes up? PH or take the out? Who plays 3B then if you PH? The bench is better but not balanced. I heard the clubhouse was a little upset Sheets playing time was being cut with the trade. Shildt reminding AJ who makes out the lineup?
A lot of moving parts. I think Manny comes in to 3b if necessary at end of a game. Likely never comes up in most games.
Sheets had been slumping leading up to the trade so there is that.
You get Diaz for Yu maybe. It just happened to be today. Give it a week and then gauge.
Well Jose better not get hurt or thrown out. If Machado has to come in, you lose the DH.
Def hope he doesn’t get hurt.
Later in game with that BP, the pitchers won’t bat. This lineup has the bats on bench to PH
Nice trade!
People freaking out over this makes me laugh. With King coming back Sears is the odd man out. Didn’t look good yesterday, but will likely be in the rotation for the next few years. He gets to rest and work on anything Niebla gives him to work on.
Sophisticated fans understand the value of a reliable optionable starter with some bottom of the rotation stats.
Same applies to relievers.
I like that jp fought through yesterday’s game. The score could have been a lot worse!! Hopefully the pads get the bats going tonight.
We are exactly five games post trade and we have figured out how these guys are going to be used in the long term?
There is a great book by Johnny Sain from the late 60s or early 70s that you might be able to find. He explains baseball. Give it a look.
There are so many variables that go into lineup, defense and offense. Speaking in absolutes is insane with the sss we have since 7/31. Padres have won 3 of last 5 and outscored opponents 23-16 with JI in there. Definitely not working.
OH GOD ITS BEEN 5 DAYS SINCE THE TRADE DEADLINE
PANIC MODE PANIC MODE SKY FALLING
FREAK OUT TITANIC SINKING ROANKE WENT MISSING 9/11 9/11 FAKE MOON LANDING ALIENS ARE REAL ROUND EARTH
My goodness it’s been 5 days let them figure out their new additions snd best lineups while managing guys days off.
Sears has been remarkably consistent over the last 3 years with his underlying numbers, he just pitched in a hitters park this year. He is what he is, a controllable #5 starter that never misses a start and will probably finish each season with an ERA in the 4’s. Stuff is average, but it comes out of a weird armslot, super athletic, fields his position really well. Valuable if you need innings. He’s nowhere near as bad as people on this thread are making him out to be. That profile has value to a front office as seen by this trade. Acting like the A’s were trying to throw him in to a miller deal because he had negative value just isn’t accurate