The San Diego Padres hold first place in the NL West for the first time since 2010, overtaking the Los Angeles Dodgers with less than two months left in the season. They’re looking to extend that lead this weekend in their series against LA.
Getting past the Dodgers wasn’t easy. But the Padres have gotten a massive offensive boost since the trade deadline, largely thanks to their three key acquisitions.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic broke down just how much the offense has improved since deadline day.
“5.33: Runs per game by the Padres offense since the trade deadline. That’s up from 4.08 runs per game before the Padres acquired Ramon Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, and Freddy Fermin on deadline day.”
That’s a jump of more than a run per game. San Diego ranks sixth in runs scored in August and just swept the Giants by scores of 4-1, 5-1, and 11-1.
The Trade Deadline Impact
Freddy Fermin has been the biggest upgrade behind the plate. The Padres were getting poor offensive production from Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado before the deadline, and Fermin’s bat has made a real difference.
Ryan O’Hearn gives them more lineup flexibility. He hasn’t set the world on fire since arriving, but he delivered a clutch home run against Arizona in just his second game with the team.
The real star has been Ramon Laureano. In 12 games as San Diego’s left fielder, he’s hitting .333 with nine runs, 15 hits, two doubles, two triples, two homers, 10 RBIs, and a 1.000 OPS.
Those are the numbers that change division races.
What It Means Going Forward
There’s still plenty of baseball left, but this offensive surge combined with San Diego’s excellent bullpen makes them a legitimate threat to win the NL West. The way I see it, if they can maintain anything close to this offensive pace, they’ve got a real shot.
That’s something nobody would’ve said about the Padres offense three weeks ago. Now they’re the team everyone else is chasing.
