An MLB insider explains why Ryan O’Hearn’s breakout form with the Baltimore Orioles is expected to continue after being traded to the San Diego Padres.
The San Diego Padres added more power to their lineup by trading for Ryan O’Hearn, who comes with outfielder Ramon Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for six players, per ESPN.
O’Hearn, a starter in this year’s All-Star Game, has been crushing right-handed pitching and is having a career year, hitting .283 with a .374 on-base percentage and .463 slugging, along with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.
The big question with this trade is whether the 32-year-old has truly found his footing with the Orioles and can maintain that level of production, or if there’s a chance he reverts to the player he was with the Kansas City Royals, when he hit .219 with 38 home runs and 131 RBI over five seasons.
Nonetheless, MLB Network’s Tom Verducci believes that the Padres believe that the version of O’Hearn they’ll be getting is the one who found his stride in Baltimore, considering there’s a new aspect he can translate to his move to San Diego.
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“We’ve seen it now—three years in Baltimore,” Verducci said on MLB Network. “This guy was a .217 hitter with Kansas City, and they basically were done with him. He found a new life here in Baltimore, and he’s caught his. His strikeout rate? Almost in half.
“He’s added like 80 points to his batting average. He’s a completely different hitter than he was in the early days of Kansas City. If you look at the numbers—almost the same number of games in Kansas City as in Baltimore—and a much better hitter.”
The Padres are busy today! 🤯#MLBTonight dives in after San Diego reportedly acquired Ryan O'Hearn AND Ramón Laureano. https://t.co/GmxIRKXL4Bpic.twitter.com/bESKsd9c3t
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 31, 2025
Entering Thursday, the Padres trail the Dodgers by three games for the NL West division and they’ll need O’Hearn to continue performing for them like he was doing for the Orioles. The first baseman will have a chance to close the gap between the Padres and the Dodgers when they face Los Angeles on August 15-17.
Category: Baseball
