Former Padres Prospect Gets First MLB Promotion

Mar 1, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Drew Thorpe (96) on the mound in the third during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports | Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Three months.

That's how long Padres fans had time to wishcast the hopes for the future of their starting rotation on Drew Thorpe, one of the five players acquired from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade last December. Thorpe made three appearances in Cactus League play, pitching seven innings without allowing a run. Then, almost as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.

The Padres traded Thorpe and pitcher Steven Wilson, pitcher Jairo Iriarte, outfielder Samuel Zavala to the Chicago White Sox on March 13 in exchange for Dylan Cease. It's hard to critique the trade in hindsight.

Cease, one of the most coveted pitchers in trade talks all offseason, has gone 6-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 starts for the Padres. Considering the season-long injury issues plaguing rotation anchors Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, it's hard to imagine where the Padres would be without Cease.

Still, for anyone masochistic enough to perseverate on what the Padres lost, today's the day: the White Sox recalled Thorpe from Double-A Birmingham to make his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners. To be fair, the Padres might have given up quite a bit.

Prior to his promotion, Thorpe improved his career minor league record to 21-3 with a 2.17 ERA and 238 strikeouts across 199.1 innings. The 23-year-old right-hander was 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 11 starts at Birmingham.

Thorpe, a consensus top-100 prospect, relies on a plus changeup and command. He joins a White Sox rotation with a 5.07 ERA — 28th in MLB — so he could get a long runway to ramp up his success.