3 Padres on trade block after Yu Darvish extension, and who could land them

Padres trade rumors: Austin Nola to the Astros

Trading Austin Nola doesn’t make sense for San Diego right away, as he still plays a fairly vital role on this team. Nonetheless, he’s an acquirable asset on a Padres team that will need to shed them in able to afford all the free-agent contracts to come.

Nola is by no means an All-Star talent, but catcher is a premium position and he’s a downright capable one. He slashed .251/.321/.329 with limited power. However, he gets on base enough to warrant a spot in the No. 6 or No. 7 spot in most lineups. So, which team would trade for Nola?

Why not the Houston Astros? Houston has seemingly been in on a catcher since the trade deadline. First, Willson Contreras was the target, but the Cubs asking price was too high. Now he’s a St. Louis Cardinal long-term. Then, they dealt for Christian Vazquez of the Red Sox, but he left in free agency. Martin Maldonado is beloved in the locker room, but he can’t hit above the Mendoza line on a good day. Nola is a good defensive catcher, and he can hit well enough to warrant a spot in the lineup.

Houston is a World Series champion, but they field a borderline bullpen catcher on a day-to-day basis. That has to change.