PEORIA, Ariz. Two summers ago, members of the Padres front office trekked to Cooperstown, N.Y., to attend the enshrinement of one of their own. They watched as Trevor Hoffman, franchise icon and senior advisor, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They toasted and they celebrated. And, in between festivities, they tapped away at their phones.

In a wooded, secluded region of Central New York, team executives passed the final hours before the July 2018 trade deadline. Less than two weeks earlier, the Padres had sent relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland for catching prospect Francisco Meja. Now they were attempting, among other things, to acquire a St. Louis Cardinals outfielder named Tommy Pham.

We were going back and forth, general manager A.J. Preller said.

At the time, the Padres were slogging through the third year of a rebuild. They had signed first baseman Eric Hosmer to a nine-figure contract, but not six...

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After pursuing him two years ago, the Padres are betting on Tommy Pham - The Athletic