The Padres watched last season as two division rivals, the Dodgers and Giants, both enjoyed success en route to making the playoffs.

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This year, the club is intent on crashing the party. The Padres finalized a series of moves in recent days, acquiring three established position players to add some punch to a lineup that was last in the league in runs scored in 2014.

New general manager A.J. Preller made his first big splash last week, agreeing to acquire Matt Kemp from those same division rival Dodgers in a deal that sent catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin to Los Angeles. Despite some complications with Kemp’s physical — namely, that the examination apparently found arthritis in both his hips — the two sides announced the deal was complete Thursday evening.

In the interim, Preller got to work on filling the other corner outfield spot. The Rays surprisingly made Wil Myers available, and a deal quickly came together that sent Myers, Ryan Hanigan and two minor leaguers to the Padres; Steven Souza, Rene Rivera, Burch Smith and two minor leaguers to the Rays; and Padres 2014 first-round pick Trea Turner and former top prospect Joe Ross to the Nationals.

Not content with acquiring two bats for the middle of the order, Preller then went out and got the starting catcher he lost when he dealt Grandal to the Dodgers. Late Thursday, the Athletics agreed to send 2014 All-Star Derek Norris, minor leaguer Seth Streich and an international signing slot to the Friars for pitchers Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez.

When the dust settled, the Padres added three guys who combined for 41 home runs this past season. Only six of those came from Myers, who struggled with injury and a sophomore slump en route to a season far from his AL Rookie of the Year performance in 2013. If Myers is able to bounce back from a fractured right wrist — not a guarantee, and possibly one of the reasons the Rays felt comfortable letting him go — he should produce at a higher level for the Padres in 2015.

And despite loading up on middle-of-the-order hitters, the team doesn’t appear to be finished yet. The team is still in need of an upgrade at a number of positions on the infield, with only second baseman Jedd Gyorko appearing to be locked in as a starter heading into spring training. The trades also gave the team an excess of outfielders, so they could use some of that depth to fill other areas of need. Seth Smith is one player who may draw interest.

The moves don’t guarantee the Padres will contend in a tough NL West that will include the reigning champs. But there’s no question that they’re set on trying.

Beane Ball

On the other side of Thursday’s trade, the Athletics continued to turn over their rotation from 2014’s playoff squad.

Only Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir remain from that group, with Jon Lester, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel having left via free agency or being traded as A’s general manager Billy Beane continues to overhaul his roster. In their place, the A’s will turn to a group of young, unproven players with promise that includes Hahn, Chris Bassitt, Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin. Drew Pomeranz, who was displaced when they acquired Samardzija and Hammel last July, is also still around, as are returning Tommy John surgery survivors A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker.

And, like the Padres, Beane likely isn’t done. Shortly after dealing Norris, MLB.com’s Jane Lee suggested Beane is hoarding young pitchers to load up for another move. Lee suggested Beane may aim high this time, possibly for Justin Upton or Troy Tulowitzki.

If nothing else, the Beanes and Prellers of the world have served to make this one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory.

Royals Add Arms

Not content to allow the A’s to collect all the available pitchers, the Royals got into the action with a couple moves in recent days as well.

On Wednesday, the Royals and free agent right-hander Edinson Volquez came to terms on a two-year, $20 million deal. Volquez, 31, is coming off a strong 2014 season in which he went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA as a member of the Pirates. He slots into the back of a rotation that is set to lose James Shields to free agency.

With their rotation shored up, the club was able to take on some risk. The Royals signed Kris Medlen, who is coming off Tommy John surgery and might not be ready until June or July, to a two-year, $8.5 million deal that could be worth up to $18.5 million with incentives. Medlen didn’t pitch at all in 2014 but went 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA for the Braves in 2013 after posting an insane 1.57 ERA over 138 innings in 2012. Medlen could come in handy if the Royals hope to make another improbable run deep into October next season.

Quick Hits: In response to dealing away some good young pitching, the Padres made a couple free agent signings in recent days to add some arms back to their stable. The Padres signed Brandon Morrow to a one-year deal, and they were on the verge of bringing back Josh Johnson on a one-year contract as well … with the Kemp trade likely getting the green light, Jimmy Rollins‘ deal to the Dodgers appears close to completion as well. Eflin, one of the minor leaguers going from San Diego to Los Angeles, and Tom Windle will head to the Phillies in that deal … Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang has been posted by his KBO club, and MLB teams have until 5 p.m. ET Friday to submit bids for exclusive negotiating rights. Kang, 27, could interest a number of shortstop-needy teams after he batted .356/.459/.739 with 40 home runs and 117 RBI this past season in Korea … it seems another international player of interest, Kenta Maeda, won’t be posted this winter. The Hiroshima Carp have informed Maeda they don’t plan on making him available to MLB clubs … like the Padres, the Red Sox find themselves with a glut of outfielders, and the team is said to be in “active” trade talks regarding Allen Craig. Craig entered 2014 as a bonafide middle-of-the-order hitter but struggled with the Cardinals before being dealt to the BoSox at the trade deadline … Ichiro Suzuki has drawn some interest from the Orioles. The O’s have been linked to a number of outfielders as they look to replace the departed Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis … the Marlins, Braves and Giants have all expressed interest in Jake Peavy. Peavy would be a contingency plan for the Marlins should Dan Haren decide to retire, while the other two teams are squarely in the market for more pitching … Orioles manager Buck Showalter said recently that Matt Wieters (elbow) may not be ready for Opening Day. Wieters had Tommy John surgery in mid-June, a procedure that usually doesn’t keep position players down as long as it does pitchers. The club will certainly exercise caution with the 28-year-old.