Longtime Padres Catcher Agrees to Join NL Central Team on MiLB Deal

Nola, 34, appeared in 52 games with the Padres last season. He struggled mightily in his fourth season in San Diego, though, slashing just .146/.260/.192 with one home run and eight runs batted in.

Nola began his career with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, sporting a .796 OPS in 79 games.

In 2020, he had an incredible start to the COVID-shortened season in Seattle, slashing .306/.373/.531 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 29 games.

The Padres, who were going all-in at the trade deadline, ended up adding Nola in a wild seven-player trade. That trade has turned into a bit of a disaster for San Diego.

The Padres acquired Nola and relievers Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla. Heading to Seattle was one of San Diego's top prospects in outfielder Taylor Trammell, along with infielder Ty France, catcher Luis Torrens and reliever Andres Munoz (more on the trade later).

Nola sported a .705 OPS the rest of the way in 2020, and went 2-for-17 in the 2020 postseason.

In 2021, he had a solid season in limited time, sporting a .716 OPS in 56 games.

Then, he had a .649 OPS in 2022 in 110 games, and went 9-for-40 during the team's NLCS run in the postseason.

It all came crashing down for Nola in 2023, though, as he struggled mightily before being optioned to Triple-A in July He wouldn't make another appearance at the big-league level.

Now, Nola will try to revitalize his career in Milwaukee, as the Padres move on from a trade that's looked worse every year.

Austin Nola Padres Trade Review — Where Are They Now?

We've gone over Nola's San Diego tenure, but here's how the rest of the trade has panned out for both sides.

Austin Adams struggled with the Padres and ended up appearing in 24 games with the division-rival Diamondbacks in 2023. 

Altavilla made appearances in 2020 and 2021 in San Diego, and hasn't seen the MLB stage since.

On the flip side of things, Taylor Trammell has struggled in parts of three seasons with Seattle, sporting a career OPS of .639. Additionally, Luis Torrens had a great 2021 season in Seattle — hitting 15 home runs and 47 RBIs — but has bounced around the league since.

However, Ty France and Andres Munoz have blossomed into really good players.

France made the All-Star team in 2022, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 83 RBIs. Last year, he hit .250 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs in 158 games.

Munoz, on the other hand, has had back-to-back dominant seasons out of Seattle's bullpen, sporting ERAs of 2.49 and 2.94, respectively. He has a 2.67 ERA in 117 appearances in his Seattle career.

France and Munoz appear to be the ones that got away for San Diego, while Trammell will look to improve entering his age-27 season.