"Sean Manaea has been traded to the San Diego Padres" - Ace sent to San Diego, Oakland Athletics receive a shortstop and pitcher reveals MLB insider

Sean Manaea has been traded from the Oakland Athletics to the San Diego Padres. In addition to Minor League right-hander Aaron Holiday, the San Diego Padres will receive right-hander Adrian Martinez and teenage infielder Euribiel Angeles from Oakland.

"Full trade, per source: Oakland gets Euribiel Angeles and Adrian Martinez, San Diego gets Sean Manaea and Aaron Holiday." - @ Mark Feinsand

San Diego Padres have heartily welcomed Sean to their team with a tweet from their official Twitter handle.

"The Padres have acquired Sean Manaea and Aaron Holiday from the Athletics." - @ San Diego Padres

With only a few more spring games left, the focus is beginning to shift to Opening Day. Until yesterday, A's manager Mark Kotsay had given both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea equal odds to start Opening Day, with Montas being moved to the backfields to throw on the same day as Manaea.

"Frankie Montas will pitch simulated innings Sunday on back field, Mark Kotsay said. Sean Manaea will start the A’s game that day. Both would then be lined up as possibilities to start opening day - A’s haven’t announced a starter for the opener." - @ Matt Kawahara

However, for a long time, the Manaea trade has felt inevitable. Before the lockout, it was believed that the Oakland Athletics planned to move just about any player with a hefty salary and declining team control. Once the lockout ended, they followed through on their projections, moving Chris Bassitt to the Mets, Matt Olson to the Braves, and Matt Chapman to the Blue Jays. Manaea, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season and earns $9.75 million this year, was the logical pick as the next player to pack his belongings.

"Oakland in active conversation regarding SP Sean Manaea again, per a rival executive." - @ Andy Martino

New York Yankees v Oakland Athletics

How will Sean Manaea make his presence felt in the San Diego Padres?

Sean Manaea debuted in Major League Baseball in 2016, and he quickly distinguished himself with a strong season. He had a 3.86 ERA in 144-2/3 innings, with a 20.9 % strikeout rate and a 6.2 percent walk rate. During 2017 and 2018, Sean pitched well before being sidelined by shoulder surgery in September of 2018. He returned in late 2019. He restored his old self in the shorter 2020 season, pitching 54 innings with a 4.50 ERA. He pitched another 179-1/3 innings with a 3.91 ERA in 2021, raising his strikeout percentage to 25.7 percent, a career-high for an entire season. This strengthens the San Diego Padres already-strong rotation, which includes Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger, Nick Martinez, Chris Paddack, and up-and-comers like Reiss Knehr, Ryan Weathers, and MacKenzie Gore.