Jason Adam traded to Padres

BALTIMORE — The Padres have joined the Trade Deadline party by addressing their biggest need with their first move.

San Diego landed righty reliever Jason Adam from Tampa Bay, sending multiple prospects to the Rays in return. The trade was officially announced on Sunday morning, with right-hander Glen Otto being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Padres get: RHP Jason Adam

The Padres will be active in the coming days ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Deadline. But the one thing they had to have — the one thing they couldn’t live without — was a high-leverage reliever capable of pitching big innings at the back end of games. They didn’t waste any time.

What the Padres are getting

Adam is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility this offseason and is under team control through 2026. He owns a 2.49 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 47 innings this season, pitching mostly in a setup role. In parts of three seasons with the Rays, Adam has a 2.30 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 164 2/3 innings.

With a three-pitch mix, Adam has a knack for missing bats. His whiff rate ranks in the top five percent of the league. It starts with his high-velo, high-spin fastball — which averages 95.4 mph with an outstanding 2,654 rpm. Adam pairs that fastball with a slider and a changeup that he can use to put hitters away.

The price was steep. Lesko is a highly regarded prospect, selected by the Padres in the first round of the 2022 Draft. He’d struggled this season, mostly with his command and his ability to harness a third pitch beyond his fastball and changeup. But Lesko’s upside remains high, despite his 6.46 ERA at High-A Fort Wayne this season.

Bush and Gonzalez are also well-regarded in the Padres organization, with each taken in the middle rounds of the 2023 Draft. Like Lesko, both are unpolished and some distance away from making a big league impact. Bush is hitting .272 with a .709 OPS — and 43 steals — at Fort Wayne. Gonzalez, a defense-first backstop, was hitting .205 at Single-A Lake Elsinore.

With Robert Suarez at the back end, Adam instantly slots in alongside Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon as the team’s primary setup men.

It seems likeliest that Adam would slot into the primary setup role, given his experience. But his arrival gives manager Mike Shildt a wealth of options to cover innings 6-8 and potentially play matchups.

Adam might end up being the most impactful of the Padres’ Deadline additions. Or he might not. General manager A.J. Preller is expected to remain active in his pursuit of pitching.

San Diego could still use a starter to fill out what’s become a dominant but ultimately too-thin-for-their-liking starting rotation. Entering play Sunday, Padres starters have combined to post a 1.44 ERA since the All-Star break. But they’ve done so using mostly a four-man rotation for the past several weeks, as off-days have afforded them that luxury.

Even with Joe Musgrove on his way back from elbow inflammation, one more starter would help, particularly with the status of Yu Darvish (restricted list) uncertain.

Meanwhile, the bullpen could probably use another lefty option, and an outfield/bench bat wouldn’t hurt, though the Padres view their offense as mostly complete.