Leo De Vries had dreamed of being a Padre since he was a kid.
He stayed up late in the Dominican Republic, eyes fixed on a glowing screen, watching Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. turn Petco Park into a highlight reel. That wasn’t just the team he rooted for. It was the team he belonged to.
Eventually, that became true in reality, too. Signed by San Diego in January 2024 for $4.2 million as the top international free agent on the market, De Vries suddenly found himself wearing the same uniform as his baseball idols. In spring training, he shared a clubhouse with both stars—soaking up every conversation, every moment. The dream no longer felt distant. It was unfolding right in front of him.
But on trade deadline day this past July, everything changed.
A member of the Padres’ Low-A affiliate at the time, the 18-year-old shortstop woke up in his Fort Wayne apartment that morning in shock to find out he had been heavily discussed in trade talks while asleep. It wasn’t long before the Padres officially sent De Vries, along with three pitching prospects, to the Athletics in exchange for flamethrower Mason Miller and lefthander JP Sears.
Speaking in Spanish for his first public interview since being traded, De Vries told Baseball America “there was a lot of emotion” that came with being dealt away from his dream ball club.
“I had already spent two years with the Padres and had been linked with them since I was younger,” De Vries said. “I wish them the best, but I understand this is a business. This is how things go. I just have to keep fighting and give it my best as I start this new chapter in my life.
At 18, most players are just hearing their names called on draft day. De Vries, Baseball America’s No. 5 overall prospect at the time, was already being included as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal. It was the kind of move that could rattle even a seasoned prospect.
But De Vries isn’t a typical prospect.
“It’s hard,” he said. “We’re all human, but resilience is something I’ve had since I was young. Everyone knows that I like to be a step ahead while still playing at the highest level. It’s something I’ve carried myself with throughout my life.”
With the move from the Padres to the A’s, though, De Vries is in an entirely different world now.
San Diego has become a star-studded, big-market contender with a $200 million payroll, a glitzy SoCal backdrop and eyes on World Series trophies. And the A’s? Even with recent strides in talent and a modest payroll bump, they remain a franchise in flux, renting out a Triple-A stadium in West Sacramento while awaiting their eventual move to the Las Vegas Strip.
It was a jarring shift. Not just in teams, but in identity.
But De Vries didn’t sulk. He embraced it.
Just hours after the trade, he packed what he could into his car, filled up his tank at a gas station and called the A’s to let them know he was already on the road, ready to make the two-hour drive to Lansing, home of their High-A affiliate. That he was ready to suit up, ready to contribute.
“We’re all human,” De Vries said. “We all have feelings. The only thing that could cure what I was feeling was going out and playing baseball. I wanted to be in the lineup. I wanted to do my job. I wanted to feel comfortable.”
And he delivered.
De Vries recorded a hit in his first game with High-A Lansing and never looked back. He finished the stint with a .268/.338/.518 slash line, two home runs, three triples and two doubles in 15 games.
The A’s promoted him to Double-A Midland midway through August. There, as one of the youngest players at the level, he continued to rise. In 21 games, he slugged another five home runs and added seven doubles while slashing .281/.359/.551.
“El Mutante”—a nickname meaning “The Mutant” that De Vries had been given for his rare mix of instincts and athleticism—had quickly made his presence felt with the RockHounds. And when the lights were brightest, he continued to deliver, going 8-for-19 (.421) with three home runs in as many games during the Texas League playoffs.
The A’s were more than impressed with what they saw from their new top prospect.
“He’s everything that you dreamed about and probably more,” A’s assistant GM Billy Owens said. “He’s got great maturity. And you couple that with plate discipline, and you have an upper-echelon prospect, and what should be a star player in the major leagues.”
Owens described the star-studded deadline deal to land De Vries as “monster talent for monster talent.”
“Great baseball trade,” he said. “Different timelines on October baseball expectations. We’re thrilled to have Leo De Vries and the Padres are elated to have Mason Miller. I love it when a deal works for both sides.”
Those feelings were further confirmed when De Vries made his first trip to the Athletics’ Lew Wolff Training Complex in Mesa, Arizona. As he strolled through the hallways, he found himself surrounded by a rich tapestry of the franchise’s history—iconic moments captured in countless photographs from the team’s days in Philadelphia and Kansas City to its storied legacy in Oakland.
With the franchise set to begin a new chapter in Las Vegas in 2028 and a promising core of players like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler all under team control, De Vries feels the weight—and the promise—of what lies ahead.
“That’s the stuff you look for as a prospect,” De Vries said. “We look for the opportunity to grow and make it to the majors. It’s a young team, but we’re all going to have the same goal to win as we move to a new city. We want to bring the best team possible to Las Vegas.”
De Vries knows firsthand the power a baseball team has to inspire. It’s a feeling rooted deep in a childhood spent watching the Padres. Now, as he embarks on a new journey with the A’s, he’s determined to become that source of hope and excitement for a fresh generation of fans.
“We’re going to put in the work, compete and keep doing what we’re doing so we can have a spectacular team,” De Vries said. “I want them to keep rooting for us. We’re moving to a new city, so we’re going to need all the support we can get.”
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