Wonders never cease and we’ve reached that point where the Marlins have become buyers. They traded pitching prospect Chris Paddack to the San Diego Padres for reliever Fernando Rodney. The move makes the second major deal for the Padres this season. They are clearly giving up on the 2016 season. The question is how much they will be able to get back for their tradable assets.

Why the Padres make this move

This one is pretty simple. The Padres added Fernando Rodney when he was at one of his low points. The veteran reliever has 253 saves in his career, but he has hardly been consistent since becoming a closer in 2008. He lost his closer’s job with the Angels in 2011 and with the Mariners last season. Each time he was able to rebuild his value and that is no less true this season in San Diego.

The Padres signed Rodney to a low-ball 1.6 million dollar contract this season (with a two million dollar option in 2017). He came back with a vengeance this season and now has 17 saves and a 0.31 ERA. As impressive as that is, we all know that isn’t going to last. The Padres decided to sell high and they got a good prospect in Paddack. He was an eighth round pick in 2015, and all he has done since then is gone 6-3 with a 1.71 ERA in 73.2 innings. He is 20 years old and is probably due for a promotion to high A ball before the end of the season.

That may not seem like a huge prospect, but MLB.com had Paddack ranked as the Marlins 17^th best prospect. According to them, he has an above average fastball and a very good changeup. He also has an average slider. They think he has the makings of a number three or four starter in the future. That’s not bad for a guy they picked up off the scrap heap in the offseason.

Why the Marlins make this move

This is a peculiar move for the Marlins. Yes, teams always want to have as deep a bullpen as possible, but they had a capable closer in A.J. Ramos. He has 24 saves and a 1.74 ERA himself. It remains to be seen who will end up getting a majority of the save opportunities from here on out. They may not have a deep pen, but the guys they did have were performing well. Both David Phelps and Kyle Barraclough have performed well this season in supporting roles.

Rosterresource.com is projecting that Rodney will end up being the Marlins closer. That remains to be seen, but if they get a top notch closer for an A ball pitcher then I suppose it’s worth it. The question is whether they already had a top notch closer before they made this deal.

What this deal means for you

Obviously, both A.J. Ramos and Fernando Rodney owners have reason to pause. While it looks like Rodney might be the Marlins closer now, what happens if he blows a save or two? Of course, Ramos owners are seemingly up a creek now unless their league counts holds. It’s also possible that both of them may share the role. That’s bad news for both Rodney owners and Ramos owners.

As for the Padres, rosterresource.com has Ryan Buchter penciled in as the closer. Before the season, Brandon Maurer was supposed to be the closer. He is now listed as the setup man. So, both could end up getting save opportunities for the Padres. Fantasy owners that are desperate for saves could end up adding one or both of those relievers, but that is only in cases of desperation.