Padres urged to cut ties with veteran to afford ‘Shohei Ohtani vanquisher’

The San Diego Padres aren’t afraid to take big swings.

Under president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, the front office has been involved in many of Major League Baseball’s biggest trades, parting ways with Juan Soto and adding the likes of Luis Arraez in the last year.

But after a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers this month, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer has urged the team to cut ties with Jason Adam, one of their most recent trade acquisitions, in order to afford a new contract for Tanner Scott, who is particularly equipped to help defeat those Dodgers in the future.

“If the team wants to add some pennies back to the jar, so to speak, it can look to leverage its surplus of talented relievers on the trade market,” Rymer wrote. “And with Jason Adam, they could look to make a deal that would add prospects and save money. The 33-year-old is projected to earn $5.3 million in 2025. It’s a steal in the context of his 2.12 ERA over the last three seasons, but the Padres would be better off if they were able to put that money toward a new deal with noted Shohei Ohtani vanquisher Tanner Scott.”

Rymer pointed to Scott’s strikeout of Ohtani in a high-leverage eighth inning during the third game of the National League Division Series, which the Padres ultimately won. Since 2021, Ohtani has gone one-for-12 against Scott with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Scott is one of the best relievers in baseball, earning an All-Star nod with 22 saves and a 1.75 ERA across 72 innings this season. He’s set to be a free agent this winter while Adam is heading into arbitration, so settling with the latter and then clearing his salary off the books might help the Padres afford the former.

As the Padres and Dodgers appear poised to battle in the playoffs for years to come, a long-term deal with Scott could give the Padres a critical edge. But there’s still a chance the team can keep Adam as well.

“The Padres, arguably, had the best bullpen in baseball after they loaded up at the trade deadline,” Rymer added. “Breaking it up isn’t necessarily the best idea under any set of circumstances, but perhaps especially not for the mere sake of adding a prospect or two.”

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