The San Diego Padres, for the first time since 2010, have the lead in the NL West this late in the year. San Diego took the lead from the Los Angeles Dodgers and is looking to further extend their lead in the weekend series against the Dodgers.
Surpassing the Dodgers didn't come easy, and one of the main reasons why the Padres were able to do so is due to the offensive explosion from the roster since the trade deadline. With major contributions from their trade deadline pickups.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic provided further details on the Padres' offensive explosion lately, highlighting how much better they have been offensively since the deadline.
"5.33: Runs per game by the Padres offense since the trade deadline," Lin writes, "That's up from 4.08 runs per game before the Padres acquired Ramon Laureano, Ryan O'Hearn, and Freddy Fermin on deadline day."
San Diego's offense ranks sixth in runs scored in August, thanks to the additions at the deadline and the impact of their current crop of sluggers. They swept the San Francisco Giants, winning 4-1, 5-1, and 11-1 in a dominant series.
Fermin has been a huge boost offensively for the Padres, with Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado being significantly worse during their time starting for the team before the trade deadline.
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O'Hearn has provided more lineup flexibility, and while he hasn't been the best since joining the team, he had a clutch home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his second game with the team to help clinch the win.
The biggest addition has been Laureano. In the 12 games since joining the Padres to be their left fielder, Laureano is hitting .333 with nine runs scored, 15 hits, two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBIs, one stolen base, five walks, and a 1.000 OPS.
San Diego's offensive explosion since the trade deadline is one of many reasons for the Padres' surpassing the Dodgers in the NL West. Their offense has taken a huge step forward, and it's thanks in large part to the trade deadline additions of Fermin, Laureano, and O'Hearn.
There's still plenty of season left, but if the Padres' offense can continue to perform at this level, winning the NL West is not out of the question, and it might even be likely with how great the bullpen is as well.
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