A flurry of deals Thursday highlighted a busy MLB trade deadline. While many position players and starting pitchers were dealt, the theme of this year’s deadline was postseason contenders adding to their bullpen. Closers Jhoan Duran (Twins to Phillies), Ryan Helsley (Cardinals to Mets) and David Bednar (Pirates to Yankees) were moved in some of the biggest trades of the day; however, no deal was bigger than the blockbuster between the Athletics (48-63 through Thursday) and San Diego Padres (60-49). San Diego, as it tends to do, swung for the fences, landing closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher J.P. Sears. Those two will help the Padres in their pursuit of a World Series, but the price they paid was steep: the No. 3 prospect in the majors, shortstop Leo De Vries and pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez. Nett (No. 5), Baez (No. 9) and Nunez (No. 17) rank in the top 20 of the Athletics’ farm system, per MLB.com. It was a shocking deal, particularly to see a prospect of De Vries’ ilk get move
