What a perfect Padres trade deadline looks like

No matter one’s opinion of the San Diego Padres, it cannot be said that the team isn’t exciting. They’ve been both surprising and disappointing at various moments. For the better part of two seasons, that has left them in the league’s awkward middle class.

After lighting up Major League Baseball the past two years with blockbuster trades, all eyes will be on the Padres as the calendar approaches the trade deadline. General manager A.J. Preller has proven he will stop at nothing to get the players he wants and will surely be aggressive this year. With San Diego hovering around .500, there are many potential areas of improvement to explore.

With the clear expectation to make the playoffs in a dreadful National League, what moves do the Padres need to make to call this trade deadline a slam dunk? This is the question Preller is pondering daily.

Padres must bolster the starting rotation

It seems like all San Diego did in the offseason was add starting pitching help, yet here we are, a month from the trade deadline, and the rotation still doesn’t look playoff-ready. Luckily, rumors have been flying all over the place for weeks that the Padres are all over the Chicago White Sox’s Garrett Crochet, so Preller doesn’t seem to be wasting any time in his search.

Crochet is the dream fit for San Diego’s needs. He’s left-handed, unlike every member of the Padres’ current rotation. He has top-of-the-line strikeout stuff, which is already something of a strength for the Pads, but it wouldn’t hurt to add more. Best of all, he has three years of team control beyond 2024, so even if this ends up being more of a bridge year than a championship campaign, Crochet would still be around to help pursue more pennants.

But it’s no guarantee Chicago trades Crochet, so Preller needs to be aggressive on a number of fronts. Whether it’s Jesús Luzardo (though injuries are derailing his season), Tyler Anderson, Trevor Williams or someone else entirely, one more arm needs to be in the mix. With Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove dealing with injuries this season, it’s imperative someone comes in to fill the void.

San Diego could still use one more big bat

Yes, the Padres do appear set at just about every position. All three of their regular outfielders have been fantastic this season and there’s a huge logjam in the infield. But as good as Fernando Tatís Jr. and Jurickson Profar have been this season, neither of them is a true aircraft carrier. If an impact bat is available, the team could use it to lengthen its lineup.

There are three names that stand out in this particular discussion: Luis Robert Jr., Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. If any of those three are available and the Padres are somehow able to win the bidding war, it would swing the odds of San Diego competing for a Wild Card spot drastically.

And, of course, this is awfully similar to what San Diego was trying to do when they brought in Juan Soto at the deadline in 2022. That didn’t pan out for them in the long run, though Soto did help lead a push to the NLCS in 2022. But if the Friars can find the room in their payroll for one more big star, the dividends could well be worth the sacrifice the second time around.

Padres have to solve the third base conundrum

If there’s one thing that hasn’t felt right about the Padres all season, it has been the lack of a healthy, productive Manny Machado at third base. Machado has managed to play in 73 games, but just over half have been as the team’s designated hitter. He has spent all season recovering from elbow surgery, recently strained a hip flexor, and has a .694 OPS, the worst of any season in his career.

Between now and July 31, the Padres need to figure out what Machado will be able to give them the rest of the way. If he looks better on his feet and ready to handle third base duties full time, great. If he needs to go on the injured list to get him right for the stretch run, do that. And, presumably, signing Donovan Solano was an insurance policy for Machado at third, but perhaps even one more option at the position would be helpful for the Pads to navigate the second half.

The Friars likely aren’t swinging a big move for Ryan McMahon within the division, but help is still available. Paul DeJong of the White Sox, Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Blue Jays and Amed Rosario of the Tampa Bay Rays are all names that would make sense as infielders who can play third and multiple other spots. And since the Padres’ whole schtick is moving shortstops to new positions, all of those guys would fit right in.