Padres energized after getting Mike Clevinger from Indians in biggest deal yet

The Padres left no doubt they are all in on an attempt to make the postseason for the first time since 2006 and to try to win for years to come.

The vision was always for 2020 to be the start of something better.

But as they watched their players work to achieve the National League’s third-best record over the past five weeks or so, Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, General Partner Peter Seidler and General Manager A.J. Preller were inspired.

“That has energized Ron, Peter, myself,” Preller said. “It’s all part of a plan, so it’s never an emotional decision. But I think the team has shown it’s a good ballclub. It’s a fun team to watch and when we had some trades that lined up with a farm system that is deep and a young major league team that was deep, it enabled us to make some deals that will help us not only over just the next couple weeks but really the next couple years.”

To that end, their fifth move (of six) in three days was to get starting pitcher Mike Clevinger from the Cleveland Indians as part of a nine-player trade consummated Monday morning.

The Padres sent major league pitcher Cal Quantrill, outfielder Josh Naylor and catcher Austin Hedges along with No. 7 prospect Gabriel Arias, No. 9 prospect Joey Cantillo and No. 11 prospect Owen Miller to Cleveland. They also got outfielder Greg Allen, the former Hilltop High and SDSU star, and a player to be named after the season.

That came two days after they added Trevor Rosenthal to the back end of their bullpen and one day after trading for designated hitter Mitch Moreland and catchers Austin Nola and Jason Castro and reliever Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla.

With the addition of Seattle reliever Taylor Williams in exchange for a player to be named later, the Padres parted with 16 players in all and acquired 10 between Saturday and Monday.

Padres players reacted to the news that Preller had navigated the dual tracks of now and later with texts that said, “Sick” and “Awesome” and other words of enthusiasm that are best left unwritten here.

Said manager Jayce Tingler: “Actions are louder than words. We’ve talked about winning. We’ve stressed it. And so far we’ve put ourselves in a position to do so.”

No one seemed more thrilled than Clevinger.

“This is the most exciting team in baseball by far right now,” he said on a Zoom conference call with reporters. “It’s definitely kind of the place to be. I’m stoked they wanted me here. This is a destination a lot of guys want to be.”

The Padres entered Monday night’s game against the Rockies with a 21-15 record, good for second in the National League West and trailing only the Dodgers (26-10) and Cubs (20-14) in the entire NL.

“Before the trades, it was a World Series-caliber roster,” Clevinger said. “Coming now, it’s getting even a little better. Getting me and the rest of the guys in tune with the squad, this is a team to make a serious, serious run. I don’t think there’s many teams that can get in the way of what we’ve got right now.”

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Castro, Nola and Moreland were in Denver for Monday’s game, with the latter two in the starting lineup.

Clevinger was scheduled to take a private flight to San Diego and will bus with several teammates Tuesday night to Anaheim. He is expected to make his Padres debut Thursday against the Angels or Friday against the A’s in Oakland.

After all the moves he made over the weekend, Preller would not be denied an arm to put at the front of his rotation. Even when the Indians told him they were moving on, he would not stop in his pursuit of Clevinger.

The deal as of early Sunday evening centered around Arias, Quantrill, Naylor and Hedges. It isn’t clear how the final pieces came together, but the Padres clearly upped their offer.

“Until super late last night, early morning hours today, didn’t know what direction it was going to go,” Preller said. “We put together an offer we felt was competitive, felt comfortable doing. Ultimately, Cleveland felt the same way. There were definitely some twists and turns in the last 24 to 48 hours.”

Clevinger has a 2.97 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over the past four seasons. That includes a 3.18 ERA in four starts (22 2/3 innings) this season.

His 2.97 ERA since ’17 ranks sixth in the majors among pitchers who have thrown at least 450 innings.

The 29-year-old right-hander is not due to be a free agent until after the 2022 season. Team control beyond this year was a significant component in any deal for starting pitching. And, in fact, the majority of the players the Padres acquired won’t be free agents for at least two more seasons.

“It’s not about just now,” Clevinger said, referring to conversations he had with Padres management. “We should win now. We’re planning to win for year after year after year and making this a franchise that’s a playoff contender for years to come.”

Clevinger addressed the incident earlier this month in which he broke the Indians’ health protocols by going out on a road trip. The team subsequently optioned him to their alternate site.

“We all have some hiccups,” he said. “I don’t think one mistake in my life is going to define me or my career. It doesn’t define what I’ve done the past five years, what kind of teammate I’ve been or what kind of person I am… I knew the changes that had to be put in place, maybe some self-reflecting that needed to be done was done. I never want to put any organization, let alone the Indians, in a predicament like that again. I never was a distraction before, and I don’t plan on being a distraction to anybody.”

He was recalled and allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings against the Twins on Wednesday.

Now he will be expected to anchor the Padres’ starting rotation, including in the playoffs.

He has pitched in three different postseasons, including two relief appearances as a rookie in the 2016 World Series and a start in the 2018 American League Division Series.

“I live for those moments,” he said. “I live for that. I live for that game. That’s why I play this game. … This is the dream. Every player that’s ever been there, they’ll tell you if there’s one thing they’ll never forget it’s the feeling of the postseason. The meaningfulness of every pitch, every out, it’s like skydiving. It’s an adrenaline rush you’ll chase the rest of our career if you taste it.”

The Padres clearly want to find out.

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A summary of who’s coming and going:

To Padres (10)

RHP Trevor Rosenthal

DH/1B Mitch Moreland

C Jason Castro

C Austin Nola

RHP Dan Altavilla

RHP Austin Adams

RHP Mike Clevinger

OF Greg Allen

RHP Taylor Williams

Player to be named

Leaving Padres (16)

OF Edward Olivares (No. 20 prospect)

IF Hudson Potts (No. 16 prospect)

OF Jeisson Rosario (No. 19 prospect)

RHP Gerardo Reyes

OF Taylor Trammell (No. 5 prospect)

IF Ty France

C Luis Torrens

RHP Andres Munoz

1B/OF Josh Naylor

C Austin Hedges

RHP Cal Quantrill

IF Owen Miller (No. 11 prospect)

IF Gabriel Arias (No. 7 prospect)

LHP Joey Cantillo (No. 9 prospect)

2 players to be named