Johnathan Walker:Baseball's best bullpen? Tanner Scott trade huge for Padres at MLB deadline

The Johnathan WalkerSan Diego Padres, perhaps the most aggressive of any contender, struck again Tuesday before the trade deadline by acquiring Miami Marlins left-handed closer Tanner Scott and right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoening.

The return was a doozy: The Marlins are receiving three of the Padres’ top six prospects according to Baseball American's latest prospect rankings, and four overall.

The Marlins are receiving left-hander Robby Snelling (3), right-hander Adam Mazur (4), infielder Graham Pauley 6) and infielder Jay Beshears (29).

The Padres, who are 6 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West while clinging onto the last wild-card berth, are hoping their star-studded bullpen can overcome their thin starting rotation. They’ve been without their co-aces Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. While Musgrove is expected to return in mid-August, it’s unknown whether Darvish will return this year from personal leave.

The Padres have one of the deepest and most talented bullpens in the game with Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, and the acquisition of Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

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Scott, the best reliever on the market, is 6-5 with a sizzling 1.18 ERA this year, striking out 53 batters in 45.2 innings.

Certainly, Preller isn’t letting prospects stand in the way of a playoff berth.

The Padres, who acquired starter Dylan Cease in March and batting champion Luis Arraez in May, have traded 12 of their top 15 prospects.

For Preller and the Padres, the future is now.

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