BALTIMORE — The Padres will have a new reliever in their bullpen when they return home to face the Dodgers.
The team on Sunday traded for Rays right-hander Jason Adam, considered one of the best setup men in the major leagues, in exchange for three prospects.
What many said was the team’s top priority — landing a right-handed reliever — was costly in a market that favored sellers because there are so many contending teams trying to get pitching.
The Padres sent Dylan Lesko, their second-ranked pitching prospect, outfielder Homer Bush Jr., their fourth-ranked position prospect, and catcher J.D. Gonzalez, their sixth-ranked position prospect.
The 32-year-old Adam has a 2.49 ERA in 47 appearances (47 innings) this season and 2.30 ERA over the past three seasons, working mostly in the eighth and ninth innings.
The Padres bullpen has been highly effective at times, such as when posting a 1.89 ERA over the past seven games. But they have been prone to costly lapses when trying to rely on pitchers top three higher-leverage relievers (Jeremiah Estrada, Adrián Morejón and closer Robert Suarez).
The bullpen’s 4.19 ERA ranks 21st in the majors. They have allowed 39.4 percent of their inherited runners to score, third most in the majors.
Adam was signed by the Padres as a minor league free agent in 2017 and pitched in one game for Double-A San Antonio before being released in August.
He made his MLB debut for the Royals in 2018 and is under team control through 2026.
The Padres are desperately trying to acquire a starting pitcher as well. While they have engaged in talks about some of the game’s top starters, including making serious play for Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley, they are mostly targeting starters to put near the back of their rotation.
All three prospects they gave up were ranked among their top 12 by MLB.com, but Gonzalez was their third-ranked catcher.
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