As soon as the Padres traded Brad Hand and Adam Cimber on July 19, the phone calls increased.

The ringing slowed but never stopped, and it picked up in recent days.

But General Manager A.J. Preller remained firm and ended up standing pat as the non-waiver trade deadline passed Tuesday.

The reality was always that the Padres were not willing to deal any of their most coveted prospects, a commitment to staying the course that eventually extinguished their most serious trade discussions.


Those were with the Tampa Bay Rays regarding starting pitcher Chris Archer, and the Padres rejected name after name the Rays dropped in myriad combinations.

Ultimately, the Rays were focused on right-handed pitching prospects Chris Paddack and Luis Patino, and they also wanted catcher Austin Hedges and right fielder Hunter Renfroe from the major league roster.

The Padres were willing to invest in a move akin to signing Eric Hosmer – a veteran player to help mold a young roster and presumably make the team better along the way to being a contender. But given their belief they are two years from contending, the asking price for Archer was deemed too high too soon.

While their farm appears to have produced plentiful fruit — and in some cases maybe even a little sooner than expected — the prospects are not burning a hole in the Padres’ pockets.


Said Preller: “We looked at all kinds of deals in the last month — understanding big picture-wise, plan-wise, it’s all about making sure we have a team that can be a contender year in and year out, and we’re not going to do anything to mortgage that.”

The Padres still want a front-line veteran starter sooner than later to anchor a rotation they believe will within two to three years be among the major leagues’ best but also possibly the major leagues’ youngest.

Archer, who will be 30 at the end of September, was seen as someone who would be a positive influence as he also improved the on-field product along the way. But the Padres did not envision him as any better than middle of their rotation in a few years.

Preller declined to discuss specifics of any potential deals.


The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Archer on Tuesday in exchange for their former top-ranked prospect, Austin Meadows, along with pitcher Tyler Glasnow and a player to be named later.

The Padres’ most serious conversations in recent days seemed to center on their remaining back-end relief pitchers, Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen. But Preller did not drop his asking price, and the right-handers remain in San Diego for now.

“It’s hard to make deals,” Preller said. “It’s hard to line up.”

Starting pitcher Tyson Ross at one point this weekend seemed headed to the Brewers. But, given his impending free agency, it was as part of a package with Luis Perdomo. That deal died when Perdomo went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain Saturday.


“There were definitely situations we could have lined up with a bunch of different deals,” Preller said. “In number of cases it wasn’t a direction we wanted to go. … We had some things that were interesting in the last week and the last few days. We just couldn’t make something happen.”

So after all the actual talks and even more outside speculation, the Padres’ net gain in July was Francisco Mejia, considered the top catching prospect in the minor leagues and inserted at Triple-A El Paso after being acquired for Hand and Cimber.

However, there is a decent chance they will be active in August in trades that require players to pass through waivers. In a system based on a team’s standing, the Padres’ National League-worst record will at least serve them well in that regard.

Moreover, the Padres will likely have players claimed off waivers. If so, they may work some trades.


They certainly expect to be active in the offseason. To that end, the lead-up to this seeming letdown was not a waste.

“Discussions were productive,” Preller said. “We found a lot about what other clubs are thinking. … It’s always pretty fluid in terms of one discussion can find out more information. … We can set targets in the offseason based on all the information we found out in the last month. I’d expect some of the conversations we had to pay off. I definitely think all the work the our scouts did will pay off.”

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com