What Im saying is there is no difference in what the Padres offered at the deadline versus what they offer in the offseason. In fact, we probably have more leverage, because we can say we're working on an extension, the Padres would likely be in a spiral after missing the playoffs, and Gore's injury would have been shown to be more severe than initially reported.
Meanwhile, other things may have changed and there are likely more bidders, with more time available to Rizzo to scout and analyze prospects.
Gore significantly modified his delivery after being unable to throw strikes at any level and losing his velo. He made it 70 innings with pretty meh metrics before inuring his elbow and missing almost two months. Thats a giant red flag. Nats are rushing this dude back and for the life of me, I dont understand why. ~30 pitches in an MLB game is utterly meaningless to a dude with 70 innings.
If the Padres struggled they might have gone in a different direction, perhaps after starting pitching rather than hitting. They were at a point, with the expectation that Tatis Jr. was coming back, where they wanted to go all-in THIS season.
By the end of next year every starting pitcher they have save one is a FA so they may have been more reluctant to move Gore. Abrams would be playing every day for them now and his stock has risen. Soto, on the other hand, has seen his stock decline given the year he's having (and there's little reason to think he'd be better here than SD). Hassell would be a year closer to the majors and thus more valuable. Susana's stock has risen since the trade.
I don't there's any way we get the same package in the off-season from SD. Maybe we'd get a comparable or even better package elsewhere, but again, not for a guy who's batting average is heading for the mendoza line.
Ask yourself if you'd trade the package we got back to San Diego for Sosa. I don't think there's any way you say yes.
