The San Diego Padres got their man in Mason Miller from the Athletics before the trade deadline, but he came at quite a price.
Four highly touted prospects will now be wearing green and gold, all of them potential impact players in Major League Baseball, albeit likely a season or two from now.
In exchange for Miller, the flamethrowing closer who adds to the Padres’ electric pitching staff as they try to top the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, the Friars had to give up Leodalis De Vries, the organization’s No. 1 prospect and the No.3 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, as well as their No. 3, No. 16, and No. 17 prospects, right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Núñez.
The rest of the Mason Miller return includes Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Nunez.
Nett has broken out for San Diego this year as the 23-year-old has a 3.39 ERA with 86 K in AA.
Baez has an excellent 1.96 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 20 starts in AA at 22 years old.
Nunez… https://t.co/OIAA7Uj2r2
— The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) July 31, 2025
De Vries is a 6-foot-1, 183-pound shortstop from the Dominican Republic who signed the biggest international free agent deal of 2024, getting $4.2 million to sign with San Diego. He’s rapidly progressed, going to a full-season minor league affiliate as a 17-year-old in 2024, and despite missing the latter half of that season with Lake Elsinore of the Low-A California League, he returned in time to get into 18 games in the Arizona Fall League with Peoria, where he was the youngest player in the prospect-laden loop.
While his offensive numbers were somewhat pedestrian in 2024 with Lake Elsinore, more than half his 71 hits went for extra bases, and he hit 11 homers and drove in 38 RBIs in just 75 games before the shoulder injury ended his campaign.
This year, De Vries has been at High-A Fort Wayne in the Midwest League, where he’s hitting .245/.357/.410 with eight homers and 46 RBIs through 82 games and was the Padres’ representative at the Futures Game.
Following the trade, he won’t have to travel too far, as the A’s have assigned him to the Lansing Lugnuts, also in the High-A Midwest League. De Vries becomes the highest-ranked prospect to be traded at the deadline in eight years.
Prospects like Leo De Vries RARELY get moved at the deadline.
He ranks No. 5 on our Top 100.
He's the highest-ranked prospect to get traded at the deadline since Eloy Jimenez (No. 5) in 2017 😯 pic.twitter.com/dG9TUZ5e3v
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 31, 2025
Considering that De Vries is in his age-18 season, he’s not going to be in the Major Leagues for at least a year or two, at minimum.
Nett, however, is a pitcher that might make his way to Sacramento before the end of the season should the A’s need right-handed bullpen help or a spot starter. He made a cameo in Double-A in 2024, making one start and going 4 2/3 innings allowing one run on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts for San Antonio. Over the winter, he was a bright spot for an otherwise mediocre Senadores de San Juan club in the LBPRC, throwing 17 2/3 innings over five starts and posting a 1.02 ERA with a 1.132 WHIP. Back at San Antonio this season, he’s thrown 74 1/3 innings across 17 starts, posting a 3.39 ERA with 84 strikeouts against 36 walks, utilizing a fastball that has touched 99 mph complimented by an 81 mph slider.
Similarly, Baez is another righty who could find his way to Sacramento this year. He’s posted a sparklin 1.96 ERA with San Antonio, striking out 89 and walking 31 in 96 2/3 innings with a 1.003 WHIP.
Núñez has made four appearances for the Padres this year, throwing 4 2/3 innings in the Major Leagues with a 3.86 ERA. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas, but with a fastball that approaches 102 mph and a good slider, he’ll likely be wearing green and gold soon enough, even though he lacks a changeup, which makes it easier for lefties to hit him.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: San Diego Padres’ Leo De Vries fields a ground out hit by Athletics’ Drew Avans during the third inning of a spring training baseball game, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
