Padres Pick Up Starter Nestor Cortes In Trade With Brewers

The Padres continue to churn transactions, acquiring Nestor Cortes from the Milwaukee Brewers. Going to the Brewers is Padres prospect Brandon Lockridge, per Jon Heyman. The move comes with Cortes rehabbing from a flexor strain that led the Brewers to transfer him to the 60-day injured list on April 6.

Cortes, 30, has appeared in just two major league games this season, pitching only eight innings before going down with injury. The limited work produced a 9.00 ERA, 11.84 FIP, and –0.2 WPA. 

San Diego’s evaluation centers on Cortes' larger body of work. In 2024 with the Yankees, the southpaw logged 174 1⁄3 innings across 31 games, posting a 3.77 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 22.8 percent strikeout rate, and 5.5 percent walk rate. That campaign followed an All-Star showing in 2022, when Cortes delivered 158 1⁄3 innings of 2.44 ERA ball with a 3.12 FIP and 26.5 percent strikeout rate. His career encompasses 576 innings with a 4.21 FIP and 24.6 percent strikeout clip.

Cortes joins a Padres rotation that already includes Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Michael King. The club has used 11 different starters this year while navigating arm injuries and workload limits. Cortes is on track for a mid-August return; his rehab assignment is expected to begin once he completes the throwing progression set by San Diego’s medical staff. The Padres will be responsible for the remainder of his $7.6 million salary.

Once activated, Cortes will give manager Mike Shildt a left-handed option in the rotation. The Padres, who entered deadline day ranked ninth in the National League with a 4.06 rotation ERA, gain another starter for the final two months and a potential postseason run.

Leaving the Padres is center fielder Brandon Lockridge, 28, who has divided 2025 between Triple-A El Paso and San Diego. In 79 Triple-A at-bats, he owns a .291/.408/.468 slash, seven steals in seven tries, and an .876 OPS, figures backed by a .284 wOBA and 84 wRC+. Over 88 plate appearances with the Padres, he is hitting .216/.258/.261, has swiped eight bases, and carries a .234 wOBA with 49 wRC+. FanGraphs logs 28 starts in left, 13 in center, and three in right, underscoring his defensive range. Lockridge joined San Diego in a July 2024 trade that sent right-hander Drew Thorpe to New York, boosting depth