After going all-in on their bullpen, the San Diego Padres plan to take their unique approach to the postseason

When the trade deadline arrives, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller is usually on the hunt for a big deal. And why not? Preller has developed a farm system, regularly ranked in the top five in MLB, that could appeal to other teams looking to move stars. Over the past four deadlines, the Padres have acquired superstars like Juan Soto and Josh Hader and solid supporting players like Josh Bell and Brandon Drury.

San Diego has taken a different approach to its play this season, but is now the hottest team in baseball, having gone 16-4 since the All-Star break, with its eyes firmly on the postseason ahead of Tuesday’s game on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Relievers were the name of the game for the Padres at the deadline, as they acquired right-hander Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Bryan Hoeing, as well as the best reliever available in left-hander Tanner Scott from the Miami Marlins.

The Padres already had a respectable bullpen before these changes, with left-handers Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejon having career years along with rookie Jeremiah Estrada. The Padres are led from behind by the electric closer Robert Suarez.

The additions of Adam, Hoeing and Scott provide a level of depth that few teams in baseball can match, and it sets San Diego up for a run to the postseason.

During the playoffs, especially over the last 20 years, bullpens are critical in determining a team’s success or failure. The leash on starters gets shorter in October, leaving a team’s relief core to cover more strikeouts, with high-leverage situations often arising early in games.

Having Adam, Scott and Suarez to cover the seventh, eighth and ninth innings is a luxury any team would love to have in the postseason, and it will be to San Diego’s advantage if they get there. With two months to allow Morejon, Matsui, Estrada and Hoeing to solidify, the Padres’ bullpen could be the group that propels San Diego into the postseason.

San Diego has been trying to stay afloat while figuring out what its rotation will look like the rest of the way following Joe Musgrove’s injury, Yu Darvish’s absence and knuckleballer Matt Waldron’s recent struggles. The team also acquired veteran Martín Pérez as additional depth.

If the Padres, who are currently tied for the NL’s top wild card spot, make the postseason, you have to imagine manager Mike Shildt will make the most of the depth of his bullpen in an attempt to take pressure off the rotation.

For the first time in a long time, the Padres left their core players untouched at the deadline. And a lot of this has to do with the reinforcements already in place. Last month, the Padres had the sixth-best offense in baseball in terms of runs scored. Manny Machado looks healthy, Xander Boegarts is finally playing like the player the Padres hoped he would be, Jurickson Profar continued to have a career year and rookie Jackson Merrill has led the team offensively in recent weeks. Not to mention that Fernando Tatis Jr. should return before the end of the season.

With San Diego scoring at their current rate and the ability to shorten games with their bullpen, the Padres become a tough team to beat not just in the postseason but the rest of the regular season as well.

The Padres have had several iterations of their clubhouse in recent years, and while this version has fewer top-tier names than in years past, this version could be done for October. San Diego is clearly playing with confidence lately, and sometimes that’s all a team needs to make a sustained advance to the postseason.