SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' history of trades is littered with Hall of Famers, MVPs and Cy Young Award winners. Those superstars have moved in both directions.
From "Trader Jack" McKeon to "Gunslinger" Kevin Towers to A.J. Preller, the Padres have seen quite a few general managers willing to make a deal.
With that in mind, here's a breakdown of the 10 biggest trades in franchise history -- factoring the quality of the players involved and the way the deals affected the direction of the team.
1. Sheffield for Hoffman
Padres got from Marlins: RHP Trevor Hoffman, RHP Andres Berumen, RHP Jose Martinez
Padres gave up: 3B Gary Sheffield, LHP Rich Rodriguez
Date: June 24, 1993
The biggest trade in Padres history came as a result of the so-called "fire sale" of 1992-93. Ownership demanded that the team cut payroll, and Sheffield was the most prominent casualty. Understandably, the fanbase didn't take kindly to the moves -- so much so that they booed the newcomer Hoffman upon his '93 arrival. Hoffman, never one to be fazed, paid no mind to that reaction. He racked up 601 saves over 18 big league seasons, and he earned enshrinement in Cooperstown in the summer of 2018.
Preller’s entire Padres tenure has been littered with blockbuster after blockbuster. But it’s hard to envision a more landscape-altering trade than this one. In an eight-player deal, the Padres landed then-23-year-old superstar Juan Soto at the 2022 Trade Deadline. They parted with some of their best young talent to acquire him. Soto helped the Padres reach their first NLCS in 2022 and was excellent in ’23, amid arguably the most disappointing Padres season in recent memory. He was dealt again the following offseason (keep reading this list for more details) prompting debate over the merits of this trade and whether the Padres should have dealt so much of their future for Soto in the first place. But this much is clearly true: It isn’t in Preller’s nature not to go for it.
3. Shields for Tatis Jr.
Padres got from White Sox: RHP Erik Johnson, SS Fernando Tatis Jr.
Padres gave up: James Shields, cash
Date: June 4, 2016
The Padres had a burdensome contract in Shields. They sent him to the White Sox, while paying a chunk of that salary, for an unheralded prospect in Tatis -- who developed into one of the most promising young shortstops in the sport. On a grander scale, the deal had further implications. During the summer of 2016, Preller turned around a once-barren farm system. He did so, in part, by trading aging veterans for a handful of elite prospects. This was the first domino to fall.
4. Alomar and Carter for McGriff and Fernandez
Padres got from Blue Jays: 1B Fred McGriff, SS Tony Fernandez
Padres gave up: 2B Roberto Alomar, OF Joe Carter
Date: Dec. 5, 1990
You want big names? This trade had 'em. The Padres gave up future Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar and future World Series hero Joe Carter. (Both played key roles in Toronto's back-to-back titles in 1992 and '93.) They got Fred McGriff, yet another future Hall of Famer, and Tony Fernandez. Alomar's eventual success made this deal a long-term loss for the Padres. But McGriff made a huge impact during his three seasons in San Diego before he, too, was moved as part of the fire sale (to Atlanta for Donnie Elliott, Melvin Nieves and Vince Moore).
5. The second Juan Soto trade
Padres got from Yankees: RHP Michael King, RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Randy Vásquez, RHP Jhony Brito, C Kyle Higashioka
Padres gave up: OF Juan Soto, OF Trent Grisham
Date: Dec. 7, 2023
Soto’s San Diego tenure lasted about 16 months. Truly, it’s no fault of his that the Padres didn’t reach a World Series during that time. But the fact is, they didn’t. And after two seasons, Preller was faced with a decision. Soto was clearly headed for free agency after the 2024 season. He could’ve kept Soto on board, then lost him for virtually nothing. Or he could’ve looked to recoup some value with a second Soto trade -- this one sending him elsewhere. Preller chose the latter, and the deal largely worked out for the Padres. King became a rotation staple, as did Dylan Cease, who was acquired in a trade with Thorpe as the headlining prospect.
6. Cammy, Finley arrive in a blockbuster
Padres got from Astros: 3B Ken Caminiti, OF Steve Finley, 1B Roberto Petagine, SS Andujar Cedeno, RHP Brian Williams, LHP Sean Fesh
Padres gave up: OF Derek Bell, RHP Doug Brocail, IF Ricky Gutierrez, LHP Pedro Martinez, OF Phil Plantier, IF Craig Shipley
Date: Dec. 28, 1994
The Padres were rebuilding during the fire sale of 1992 and '93. But they had begun to gear up for a run at contention before the '95 season. No move signaled that shift more than this one. Caminiti and Finley -- staples on the '96 and '98 NL West championship teams -- arrived for a package that included Bell. Caminiti would win the NL MVP Award in '96. Finley would become one of the best center fielders in franchise history.
7. Trio of youngsters for Kevin Brown
Padres got from Marlins: RHP Kevin Brown
Padres gave up: 1B Derrek Lee, LHP Steve Hoff, RHP Rafael Medina
Date: Dec. 15, 1997
Kevin Brown didn't make much of a long-term impact on the Padres. But in his one season in San Diego, Brown made his presence felt. Brown's 1998 season is arguably the best by a pitcher in franchise history. He posted a 2.38 ERA with seven complete games and three shutouts. Then, he turned in one of the best postseason performances of all time -- a 16-strikeout two-hitter in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against Randy Johnson and the Astros. The Padres won the '98 pennant, and Brown was arguably the biggest reason why.
8. Gonzalez, Young spark '06 division title
Padres got from Rangers: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Chris Young, OF Terrmel Sledge
Padres gave up: RHP Adam Eaton, RHP Akinori Otsuka, C Billy Killian
Date: Jan. 6, 2006
The Padres needed a first baseman and some rotation help, following their somewhat infamous 82-80 division title in 2005. They got both that offseason. Gonzalez and Young developed into stars on a much better '06 club, and they were mainstays on several solid Padres teams in the late 2000s.
9. The Wizard goes to St. Louis
Padres got from Cardinals: SS Garry Templeton, OF Sixto Lezcano, RHP Luis Deleon
Padres gave up: SS Ozzie Smith, RHP Steve Mura, LHP Al Olmsted
Date: Dec. 10, 1981
There have been quite a few cringeworthy deals in the history of the Padres -- including the Alomar trade, the second McGriff trade and the deal that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs. This one might rank at the top. Templeton was a useful piece on the 1984 pennant-winning squad, and he's a Padres Hall of Famer. But Smith became one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball history and was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.
10. Musgrove caps rotation overhaul
Padres got from Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove
Padres gave up: RHP David Bednar, LHP Joey Lucchesi, OF Hudson Head, LHP Omar Cruz, RHP Drake Fellows
Date: Jan. 19, 2021
The acquisition of Musgrove capped a wild three-week stretch that saw San Diego overhaul its entire rotation entering the 2021 season. The Padres had already traded for Yu Darvish and Blake Snell in similar blockbusters. In fact, at the time, those trades were considered far more impactful. But Musgrove wasted little time developing into the ace the Padres had envisioned. His second start for San Diego was the one that ended the franchise’s longstanding no-hitter drought. After establishing himself at the front of the rotation, Musgrove would ink a five-year contract extension in ’22, keeping him in his hometown through '27.