Another proposed White Sox-Padres that would keep San Diego in contention

Last week, the San Diego Padres pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox, landing right-hander Dylan Cease in exchange for right handers Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, and Steven Wilson, as well as outfielder Samuel Zavala.

Even after losing Blake Snell and Josh Hader and trading away Juan Soto, the Padres appear to be dead set on contending for a World Series title in 2024, as evidenced by the Cease trade.

But what if the Padres have one last trick up their sleeves just hours before today's slate of Opening Day games begins. Could they reach out to the White Sox again for another trade?

On Tuesday, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed six last-minute blockbusters that could be made prior to Opening Day. One of the trades listed involved Luis Robert Jr. going to San Diego.

Could White Sox, Padres make another swap for Luis Robert Jr.?

This trade would involve the Padres sending catcher Ethan Salas and left-hander Jagger Haynes back to the White Sox.

At this point, it's a forgone conclusion that the White Sox will not be in the postseason in 2024. A disastrous 2023 altered the course of the franchise and turned a team that was expected to contend into a rebuilding club.

Again, the Padres are a clear contender and have already done business with the White Sox.

Salas is the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball, so the White Sox would be getting somebody extremely valuable if this trade came to fruition. Meanwhile the Padres would be strengthening their roster and making their championship goals even more clear, while also effectively replacing Soto.

The NL West is already a packed house thanks to key moves by San Diego, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Francisco Giants. This move could help the Padres stand out among these four ballclubs and put them in a position to challenge the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West.