As the July 31 Major League Baseball non-waiver trading deadline was approaching, the Padres had a pile of players rumored to be headed elsewhere over the past few days.

Indeed, there were of couple of folks who walked into Petco Park on Sunday as Padres and exited with a new employer. But the one guy everyone had pegged as already having a moving company lined up and a bunch of Post Office change of address forms in hand isn't going anywhere.

Set-up reliever Mike Adams was sent to the American West Division-leading Texas Rangers for a pair of minor-league pitchers, while outfielder Ryan Ludwick was dispatched to the Pittsburgh Pirates, playoff contenders for the first time in two decades, for a player to-be-named. Both swaps went down during the closing moments of the 1 p.m. deadline.

As for ace reliever Heath Bell? He's staying right here after talk from the last week had him surely headed to Texas, or at least some other playoff aspirant. A closer of Bell's caliber is always in demand, but the Padres obviously didn't find a deal they deemed enticing.

Pitchers Aaron Harang, a Patrick Henry High product, and Chad Qualls, the other bits of trading-rumor fodder, remained Padres along with Bell.

"I came in this morning prepared to be the closer (for San Diego)," Adams told MLB.com. "I honestly thought Heath would be moved. This is a shock ... I'm still in a little bit of shock over the whole situation.

"All the talk was Heath going somewhere, for a reason. He's going to be a hot commodity in the offseason (when Bell becomes a free agent). He's a great pitcher; a lot of teams could use him."

Plenty of teams could use Adams, arguably the best set-up man in the business. The 33-year-old had a 3-1 record for the Padres this season with a 1.13 earned-run average. In 48 innings, Adams struck out 49 while allowing a piddling 26 hits. Opponents are hitting just .155 against him overall. Right-handed hitters? Try .107.

"We've seen him become one of the best relievers in the league," said Padres manager Bud Black, himself a former pitcher in the majors. "I can see that continuing ... He's got some great years ahead of him as a relief pitcher in this game."

On July 30, Texas brought in another right-handed reliever, Koji Uehara, from Baltimore. The Rangers, who made it to the World Series last year, are gearing up to make another run, and loading up on the bullpen is the way to go for this offense-laden club. Like Adams, Uehara had been a stellar talent saddled by being on a bad team.

And if the Adams transaction means mortgaging some of the future to win now, Texas doesn't care. The Padres received pitching prospects Robbie Erlin, considered the fourth-best prospect in the Texas organization, and right-hander Joe Wieland.

Erlin, 20, was 8-4 with a 3.34 ERA at the Single- and Double-A levels this season; Wieland 10-3, 1.80 at those levels. Coincidentally, the 21-year-old Wieland tossed a no-hitter against the Padres' Double-A affiliate, San Antonio, on July 29.

Both pitchers appear to be on track to make the big leagues, and with Petco Park being a nightmare for most hitters, the Padres always are on the lookout for mound talent.

Ludwick, 33, was picked up during last year's trading deadline to add offensive punch to a lineup that had Adrian Gonzalez and little else. But not only was the San Diego playoff push abortive, Ludwick just didn't pan out. He batted only .211 with six homers and 26 RBIs in last year's stint with the Padres.

This season, Ludwick was batting .238 with 11 homers and a team-best 54 RBIs. With a price tag pushing $7 million and impending free agency (no way was he coming back to San Diego next season), the Padres figured it would be best to cut their losses now.

But for Adams, his deal is a winning situation across the board. A rabid Dallas Cowboys fan, Adams will be returning to his home state, and Rangers home games are down the street from Cowboys Stadium. More importantly, he has instantly become a key figure on a squad that has legitimate World Series title aspirations.

"I'm excited to be going over there and pitching in a pennant race," said Adams, who was born in the Gulf Coast city of Corpus Christi. "My biggest concern is to go over there and put up some zeroes... I'll be ready to go over there and win some games.

"I'm going into a total different situation. Over there, they're all about winning. I just want to go in there and contribute."

For now, Bell will have to content himself with contributing to a team that's playing out the string. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and it's doubtful the cost-conscious Padres would be willing to hand over the kind of cash it would take to keep him. Then again, Bell's preference seems to be staying in San Diego, and he has suggested he'd be willing to remain a Padre for less money than could be had anywhere.

All that is another tale for another time. Another non-waiver trading deadline has come and gone, and plenty of players across the majors have switched uniforms. One notable move saw deluxe utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., who spent last year with the Padres, sent from the going-nowhere, last-place Washington Nationals to the Milwaukee Brewers, leaders of the National League Central.

Going from the cellar to first. Mike Adams didn't know what that felt like a day or two ago, but he does now.