One waiver trade deadline deal every MLB team should make

There was a lot of talk about the San Diego Padres possibly blowing up their roster prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and trading players like Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel. Neither player was moved (and actually, the only deal the Padres made was acquiring lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski from Cleveland for Abraham Almonte).

Now, because of Kimbrel’s somewhat reasonable salary and the compensation draft pick attached to Upton should he sign elsewhere as a free agent next winter, San Diego is unlikely to part with either player in August. But, there are plenty of other options.

James Shields, another recent acquisition, has reportedly cleared waivers, which makes him a likely candidate to be traded in August. Once again, Boston could actually be a buyer in August as the club wants to work quickly to rebuild for 2016 (as does Detroit), and the Red Sox could use some help at the top of the rotation. 

Outfielder Will Venable has some value and if another team showed any interest in picking up the bulk of the $87 million that remains on Matt Kemp’s contract through 2019, San Diego would surely part with him too. Pitcher Ian Kennedy and setup man Joaquin Benoit might be available, and reliever Dale Thayer was already designated for assignment, making him officially on the market.

It could be a busy month for the Padres. Of course, we thought that about July, too.

Next: San Francisco Giants