Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The San Diego Padres have dropped eight straight games and now sit five games back of the final NL Wild Card spot.
- A.J. Preller may need to sell at the trade deadline, with several key contributors drawing strong interest from contenders.
- The debate over which high-value assets to move could define the franchise's rebuild and its farm system overhaul.
Not too long ago, it looked as if the San Diego Padres were turning a corner. They swept the Atlanta Braves at home and took the opener of a three-game series against the Dodgers as well. Things have taken a turn in the wrong direction since then, though, with the Padres dropping eight straight games — including three straight at Dodger Stadium.
Now, all of a sudden, the Padres are 43-45 and 5.0 games back of the final playoff spot in the National League. They aren't completely out of it, but their path to the postseason is suddenly murky at best, with five teams ahead of them in the Wild Card hunt. This could lead to A.J. Preller contemplating selling at the trade deadline, and given the team's lackluster farm system and brutal financial situation, selling feels like their best course of action. If they do sell, these players are their most enticing trade candidates.
6. RHP Jason Adam
Jason Adam has been one of the league's premier setup men for several years now and this season has been no exception, as he's posted a 2.51 ERA in 36 appearances. Now, his strikeouts are way down and his home runs are up from where they usually are, but he throws strikes, generates chases out of the zone and does a solid job limiting hard contact while being effective against both righties and lefties.
The only reason why Adam ranks low on this list is that not only is he a free agent after the year, but he's also currently nursing a right shoulder strain. Adam expects to be back sometime in August, but that's far from a guarantee. Still, this is a reliever who, when healthy, can help any contender's bullpen.
5. 1B/OF Gavin Sheets
The Padres' downfall all year has been their offense, but Gavin Sheets is an exception. His 120 wRC+ is 16 points higher than the next-best qualified Padres position player, and while that says a lot about how bad San Diego has been at the plate, it also shows how solid Sheets has been. I mean, that mark is better than guys like Ketel Marte, Brandon Lowe and Julio Rodriguez.
Sheets shouldn't be anything more than a platoon bat, but he has a rock-solid .840 OPS against righties and comes an additional year of club control, which should only make him more intriguing. That, of course, also makes him more likely to remain in San Diego, though.
4. LHP Adrian Morejon
Adrian Morejon has long been one of the league's best left-handed relievers, and while his 3.45 ERA is a tad high compared to his career norm, everything else is about where you'd expect. He has a 28.3 percent strikeout rate, a 64.1 percent ground ball rate and a rock-solid 5.6 percent walk rate while being effective against both lefties and righties and averaging over 99 mph with his fastball. His Baseball Savant page is just littered with dark red circles.
The only reason why Morejon isn't higher on this list is that he's a free agent after this year. If he's made available at the deadline, there's a good chance he'll be the best reliever on the market.
3. RHP Michael King
The Padres' rotation has been banged up and lackluster for most of the year, but that cannot be said about Michael King, who, for a third straight year as a starter, has been nothing but solid. The right-hander has a 3.52 ERA in 18 starts, going at least six innings 11 times and allowing more than four runs just once. This guy eats innings and keeps his team in games.
It'll be interesting to see whether the right-hander will become a free agent after the year, as he has a $32 million player option for the 2027 season. Whether he elects to hit the market or not, King can be a frontline starter for a contending team down the stretch — and if he opts in, that only makes him more enticing.
2. OF/2B Fernando Tatis Jr.
At his best, Fernando Tatis Jr. is an MVP candidate with the ability to impact the game in so many different ways. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that version of Tatis for quite a bit, and the 2026 campaign has been his worst to date. While he's providing immense value in the field and on the bases, he has just five home runs and a 102 OPS+ at the plate.
I'm not going to say that it isn't concerning that a 27-year-old is having the worst offensive season of his career when he should be in the middle of his prime, especially when he's owed more than $250 million over the next eight years. But Tatis has shown signs of life offensively of late (.848 OPS in his last 43 games) and his ability to impact the game in other ways makes his floor immensely high.
If the Padres make Tatis available, there's no reason to believe there won't be several contending teams licking their chops. The contract makes it risky, but this is still a very good player with upside as high as few players.
1. RHP Mason Miller
This is easily the most unrealistic trade candidate of any on this list. The Padres just traded Leo De Vries, perhaps the best prospect in the league, to acquire Miller at last year's deadline, and they'd need an equal or even better return to move him now considering how well he's pitched in San Diego. Still, if the Padres are selling, they ought to consider moving him, right?
Miller is the best reliever in the sport by a wide margin, and he has three more years of cheap club control before hitting free agency after the 2029 campaign. These factors make it unlikely San Diego considers moving him, especially given what it paid to acquire him. But selling insanely high can help them completely revamp a farm system that, beyond Ethan Salas, is pretty barren. It's something worth considering, at the very least, even if it's unlikely to actually happen.
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