Padres land LHP Sean Manaea in trade with Athletics

The San Diego Padres improved their pitching rotation early Sunday morning, acquiring LHP Sean Manaea from the Oakland Athletics in a four-player deal.

In the deal, the Padres also acquire RHP Aaron Holiday, a 13th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, while the Athletics acquire 2B Euribiel Angeles and RHP Adrian Martinez.

But the main piece in the deal comes with Manaea, who reunites with Bob Melvin, his manager for six seasons in Oakland.

Manaea, 30, made 32 starts for the A’s in 2021. He went 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA while striking out 194 batters.

By acquiring Manaea, the Padres solidify one of the best rotations in baseball, rounding him out with Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove and Mike Clevinger.

This trade could signal that Chris Paddack, who was rumored to be in trade talks with the New York, might be on the move at some point before Opening Day Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But for now, all we know is that the Padres’ rotation just got a little bit better.