MESA, Ariz. — There probably would have been no trade without Leo De Vries involved, no star closer in Mason Miller going to the San Diego Padres.

The Athletics knew who they wanted.

And he was a player who has every skill to be a generational talent. His name brought the A’s to the negotiating table.

They traded Miller and pitcher JP Sears in July to San Diego for De Vries and three pitching prospects.

But it was the young shortstop from the Dominican Republic who made the deal so enticing on the part of the A’s.

He’s that promising. He’s also 19.

“Yes, of course, I was really surprised about (the trade),” De Vries said in Spanish from spring training. “But it’s the decision they made, and there was nothing I could do about it. I can’t control any of that. It was a little emotional, but that’s baseball. It’s a business. Some days you’re here, and some days you’re not.”

Top five

There hasn’t been this valued a prospect — he is ranked among the top five in all of baseball — traded in years.

A switch hitter with above average power and the defensive talent to become a perennial All-Star.

He also fits in well with the A’s plans of building a competitive roster by the time they relocate to Las Vegas in 2028.

It will be interesting to watch where De Vries begins this season. It could be Double-A Midland, where he moved up to from High-A Lansing last season after a short stint in the latter.

All he did at Midland was help the RockHounds to the Texas League championship series, hitting .281 in 21 games. He’s hitting .357 in his first eight spring training games.

“I’m just trying to get my eyes on him and am going to watch his instincts,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’ll see what it takes to be a big leaguer. It’s all there for him. It’s just about the maturation process.”

The A’s lately have shown a propensity to elevate players throughout their system when deemed ready.

They have a core of young stars — which includes shortstop Jacob Wilson, who recently signed a reported seven-year, $70 million contract extension — that will be the backbone of the team upon arriving in Las Vegas.

De Vries figures to be in that group, if not sooner, should he continue to develop at his current rate. He’s definitely athletic enough with a great feel for the game.

“I just want to get to know the organization and all the coaches and players,” he said. “Just go out and play baseball. Just see how things are run here.

“It’s exciting that they have (promoted young players to the major league level). If that would happen, it would be a sign I’m playing well and performing on the field. Just want to get better at all my skills. I worked in the offseason on all of them. I just want to try and play the best baseball I can.”

The presence of Wilson might make things interesting. It’s not out of the realm that De Vries could eventually find himself at second base. It would be a good problem — natural talent up the middle.

You also would figure at some point De Vries would find himself at the Triple-A level with the Las Vegas Aviators. He would be playing for manager Fran Riordan, who is getting a daily look at him at spring training.

A strong track

“He is advanced beyond his years,” Riordan said. “To think watching him play and work that he’s a 19-year-old kid. That’s a huge compliment. He carries himself really well, and his swing from both sides is really developed for his age.

“He’s a smooth fielder with a really, really good game clock. Things like that take years to develop. He seems to have already done so. He’s a really exciting player for the A’s. I think he would be fine starting (the season at Triple-A). He has that poise and confidence and ability. But, again, I have no idea where he’s going to start.”

Riordan is just as excited to begin this season as anyone else, believing the system is better equipped to cycle through good players — a testament to scouts and free-agent signings and player development all the way to the big league level.

“The A’s,” Riordan said, “are on a really strong track to be a strong organization through and through.”

Trades such as the one for Leo De Vries seconds that.

Top-five prospects don’t grow on trees.

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