The San Diego Padres made a significant move in 2024 by acquiring starting pitcher Dylan Cease before Opening Day. With the MLB trade deadline approaching, new rumors suggest the team could be equally aggressive this summer.
San Diego has several issues to address. The Padres’ lineup ranks 11th in slugging (.404), their pitching staff is 12th in quality starts (31), and they rank 22nd in batting average allowed (.248) through 83 games.
Hovering around the .500 mark, the Padres benefit from the instability in the National League, creating a wide-open race for playoff spots. This situation seemingly incentivizes general manager A.J. Preller to be more aggressive in making moves this summer.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres are targeting Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. However, they would face competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Regarding trade prospects, Rosenthal notes that catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries are considered untouchable within San Diego’s system. It is speculated that Preller might be portraying De Vries as untouchable to increase his trade value if the right player becomes available.
There might be added pressure for the Padres to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline, with Rosenthal mentioning that Preller could be trying to save his job. This scenario would give him even more motivation to trade top prospects in a win-now move.
For now, it appears that no available talent ahead of the MLB trade deadline would warrant trading one of San Diego’s blue-chip prospects. Instead, the Padres are expected to pursue trades where pitching prospects like Dylan Lesko, Robby Snelling, or Adam Mazur could be central to the deal.
