San Diego Padres fans were surprised by a curveball just before the trade deadline, as a former member of the New York Yankees, Nestor Cortes, is on his way to Southern California.
The Padres, chasing a deep postseason run, struck a surprise deadline deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Cortes.
Once a quirky fan favorite in the Yankees, Cortes now finds himself suiting up for his third team in less than a year.
A Bumpy Ride Since Leaving the Bronx
Before MLB Opening Day, the Yankees traded Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee for All-Star closer Devin Williams. On paper, it was a blockbuster.
But reality hasn’t been kind to Cortes. The lefty has spent nearly the entire season on the injured list nursing elbow issues, managing just eight shaky innings and a bloated 9.00 ERA.
It was a far cry from the crafty ace Yankees fans had come to adore, but injuries have been to blame.
Cortes Reboots in San Diego
Now, the Padres are betting on a bounce-back. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, San Diego quietly pried Cortes away from Milwaukee, sending outfielder Brandon Lockridge the other way.
The trade raised eyebrows—not just for its secrecy, but for the calculated risk involved.
For the Brewers, Cortes had become a surplus arm. Their rotation is clicking, and they had no urgency to reintegrate an injury-prone starter after making another calculated risk by acquiring Jordan Montgomery.
Cortes, Lockridge, and Montgomery all have past experiences with the Yankees.
San Diego, however, is playing a different game—one defined by aggressive, win-now moves.
Not Just Bullpen Boosts
At the start of deadline day, most assumed the Padres would dangle Dylan Cease in a trade to address their outfield or bullpen needs. Instead, Cease stayed put, and the Padres pivoted in a different direction.
Cortes brings something else to the table: rotational depth with upside. Even if he doesn’t immediately return to All-Star form, he’s a lefty with playoff experience and unshakable confidence.
For a Padres team bracing for October, that kind of arm has real value.
Cortes Isn’t Coming Alone
The Padres didn’t stop with Cortes. They also added, in other deals, flame-throwing closer Mason Miller, outfielders Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn, catcher Freddy Fermin, and lefty starter J.P. Sears. This wasn’t a tune-up. It was a full-throttle transformation.
Cortes is a wild card. If healthy, he gives San Diego a middle-of-the-rotation weapon who can outfox hitters with movement and deception. Think of him as a chess player in a game often defined by power arms and brute force.
A Familiar Journey, a New Stage
By now, Nestor Cortes is no stranger to movement. From Baltimore to New York to Milwaukee—and now San Diego—his career has been defined by transitions.
But each stop has molded him, toughened him, and taught him how to thrive with what he’s got.
For all his setbacks this season, Cortes remains one of baseball’s most creative pitchers. His timing quirks and fearless mound presence are still there, waiting to be unleashed. If anyone can flip the script, it’s him.
He reached 5.2 innings in his most recent rehab start in Triple-A, so he is just about ready to return.
The Risk, and the Reward
San Diego is gambling that Cortes’ elbow issues are behind him, and that his poor early numbers were more rust than regression.
If that gamble pays off, the Padres may have landed one of the more under-the-radar steals of this deadline.
There’s always risk in banking on a pitcher coming off injury. But like a seasoned poker player pushing all-in, the Padres aren’t bluffing—they’re going for broke.
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