When the San Diego Padres acquired Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox on March 13 and Luis Arraez from the Miami Marlins on May 4, they traded away a significant portion of their prospect capital.
With the trade deadline approaching, the Padres have limited prospects left to make a major move. The club’s top four prospects are almost entirely untouchable.
The Padres have stated they will not part with catcher Ethan Salas and are unlikely to trade Robby Snelling, Dylan Lesko, or Leodalis De Vries. However, they might consider dealing outfielder Homer Bush Jr. or catcher Brandon Valenzuela.
Bush is ranked No. 8 in the Padres’ farm system according to MLB Pipeline, while Valenzuela is ranked No. 11.
Padres writer A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com notes that the team “is being tight-lipped as usual regarding their trade targets.”
Cassavell believes the Padres might trade three of their second-tier prospects to acquire right-handed starter Jack Flaherty and left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from Detroit. Additionally, they could add Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan for another solid prospect package.
The decision hinges on how much general manager A.J. Preller is willing to trade to make a deep run without committing entirely to this season. Should he give up several solid prospects for rental players when the team is already in playoff contention?
If Preller does decide to make a deal, Bush and Valenzuela could be the best prospects he is willing to trade.
