MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Padres should make

5. Deal from the bullpen

The bullpen should be the last thing on the mind of a rebuilding team like the Padres. Contenders are always looking for bullpen help and relievers go for inflated prices at the deadline, so any San Diego reliever should be made available.

Rodney was the biggest piece from the Padres bullpen, and returned an interesting prospect in Chris Paddack from the Miami Marlins. While nobody else has as much value, a contender who doesn’t want to pay the extreme price for someone like Aroldis Chapman could turn to San Diego for help.

The top trade candidate left in the bullpen is Ryan Buchter, who moved into a more high leverage role following the Rodney trade. A 28-year-old rookie, Buchter has emerged out of nowhere to put up a 2.61 ERA (2.78 FIP) and 55 strikeouts in 38 innings according to FanGraphs.

Buchter’s value is never going to be higher than during this current hot streak, so the Padres would be wise to deal him. Veterans Kevin Quackenbush and Brad Hand could also add some depth to a contender, while Brandon Maurer has some intriguing upside.

Plenty of teams will be looking for relief help, and a club like the Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners might be interested in the cheap relievers San Diego can offer.

Next: 4. Trade Yangervis Solarte