The San Diego Padres traded three top prospects for two rental starters at the trade deadline, including Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers. This move came at a significant cost to the team's future as both Ray and Mise are expected to become free agents this year. Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, AJ Preller, defended the strategy, stating that they aim to win championships and have only won four playoff series since Preller became GM in 2014. This strategy has not yet produced a World Series ring for the team, nor will it prevent the team from losing another crop of top prospects.