With just days to go until the MLB trade deadline, few teams find themselves at a more profound crossroads than the San Diego Padres. On the one hand, the team is well-positioned to make the postseason for the third time in four years, entering play on Tuesday with a 3.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. On the other, it's clear that San Diego is a cut below the NL's best right now, 3.5 games back of the hated Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
With Dylan Cease, Michael King and more key players set to hit free agency this winter, just being good enough isn't an option. It's time for the Padres to go big or go home, to push all their chips to the middle with this core or take a step back and retool. And based on AJ Preller's recent past, we know what he's likely to choose: One of MLB's most aggressive GMs has never passed up a chance to go all-in when his team warranted it.
So let's help him do just that. The Padres have a sturdy foundation upon which to build, but there are clear holes on this roster that could come back to haunt them down the stretch, especially in left field and the back end of the rotation. If Preller wants to finally get his franchise over the hump, he's going to have to take big swings at filling them in the next few days, and these four trades would be a perfect place to start.
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4. Take Marcell Ozuna off the Braves' hands
With Sean Murphy not only off the trade block but serving as a catcher/DH tandem with young Drake Baldwin on seemingly a nightly basis, the writing is on the wall for Ozuna as he plays out the final year of his contract with the Atlanta Braves. And it's true that Ozuna has struggled mightily at the plate of late, with a .562 OPS since June 1.
But when he's right, we know that Ozuna is still one heck of a hitter. And the Padres could very much use a boost at DH, as Trenton Brooks simply isn't getting it done right now. It's possible that Ozuna's nagging hip injury never goes away, but his price could not be lower, and he's a worthy gamble that could give San Diego a needed jolt.
3. Joey Bart is an under-the-radar solution at catcher
There isn't much on the catcher market this summer, but any competition for the struggling Elias Diaz and Luis Campusano would be welcome at this point. Bart has shown flashes of the top prospect he was with the San Francisco Giants once upon a time, posting a .799 OPS across 80 games just last season, and Pittsburgh has the organizational depth behind the plate to make him expendable.
2. Seth Lugo reunion brings the stability this rotation needs
Now we're getting to the big stuff. With Cease, Nick Pivetta and Yu Darvish around plus Michael King hopefully nearing a return from the IL, San Diego doesn't necessarily need a frontline guy who can take the ball in a postseason game. What it needs is some stability, an innings-eater who can slot into the No. 4 spot and just give the Padres competence and a chance to win every fifth day.
Lugo has his warts, and he's certainly not as good as his sparkling ERA suggests, but his kitchen-sink approach has been keeping hitters off balance for years now. And, just as importantly, he's a workhorse, someone who's stayed relatively healthy of late and can pitch deep into games thanks to his contact-forward approach.
1. Jarren Duran is the top priority for AJ Preller
Duran is the ideal target for San Diego, someone who can fill the gaping void this team has in left field both this year and beyond. And it sounds like the Red Sox are at least open to moving him if the price is right and allowing Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony to become their everyday trio.
Estrada fills Boston's biggest immediate need, a flame-throwing righty to pair with Aroldis Chapman to help Alex Cora navigate late-game situations with more confidence. Beyond the nominative determinism, Bateman would offer another arm for the team's future without Walker Buehler and potentially Lucas Giolito, while Sanabria is close to the Majors and would be some insurance for Triston Casas.
And it's hard to overstate the impact Duran would have for the Padres, who have arguably the worst left-field situation in the entire sport right now. He's not as good as he was in his breakout 2024 season, but he's warming up of late, and he's a reliably above-average bat with tremendous athleticism in the field and on the bases. With Duran, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. in tow, this would be an elite outfield to go with a revitalized pitching staff that could give the Dodgers another run for their money.