The Padres need more depth just about everywhere. With the uncertainty surrounding Yu Darvish and Michael King‘s health, the Padres may need to acquire another starter.

The calendar is about to hit June. That means, as the summer heats up, so do the trade rumors. Players on expiring deals that are playing for teams dead in the water will be the low-hanging fruit of trade talks.

The Padres are squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot. However, the team has a few glaring flaws. Yes, they need upgrades in left field and catcher. Acquiring a pitcher does not take that away. However, given some recent injury updates, the Padres may need to shop around for another starting pitcher.

Michael King is currently on the 15-day injured list, and the team is yet to be very clear on what the problem is or how long he will be on the shelf. Yu Darvish has undergone a stop-and-go rehabilitation stint, and there is currently no timetable for his return.

That’s two big parts of the starting rotation with major question marks at the moment. That leaves Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, Randy Vasquez, and Stephen Kolek as the mainstays in the rotation, with the fifth spot very much a question mark. Kyle Hart made an appearance, but did not look sharp against the Marlins. Matt Waldron is on the mend and might be able to slide in before too long. Other options internally remain, but none are very desirable.

Looking at the trade market, Andrew Heaney of the Pittsburgh Pirates makes sense. The Pirates are going nowhere this season. Heaney is an almost 36-year-old who is set to be a free agent after this season. It makes no sense for the Pirates to hang onto him.

Last year, the Padres swung a last-minute deadline deal for Pirates lefty Martin Perez. He ended up being an essential part of San Diego’s rotation down the stretch. Could the Friars do it again with another lefty from Pittsburgh?

Heaney is having a solid season with the Pirates. In 11 starts, he owns a 3.41 ERA and 123 ERA+, suggesting he is above average. He has logged at least six innings in a start five times this year, and even gone seven twice.

Heaney signed a meager one-year, $5.25 million deal with Pittsburgh before the season. The Padres would pay him just a portion of that, limiting his payroll impact.

The Oklahoma State product would strengthen and deepen this starting rotation, providing veteran stability. He does not possess overwhelming velocity or spin rate, but he appears to know how to consistently get batters out. Against the Padres this season, he was able to fool Manny Machado with a 90 mph fastball, given his mix of pitches.

Simply, the Padres need another starter who can just get outs consistently and provide some innings. They don’t need an ace or a franchise-altering deal. They need to add around the margins to shore up a playoff roster. Heaney accomplishes that for the starting rotation.

Given his age and expiring contract, Heaney would not cost a lot in prospect capital. The Padres could probably get a deal done without parting with a top 20 prospect.

If the Padres can get Darvish and King back, having a rotation of Cease, Pivetta, King, Darvish, and Heaney would be among the deepest in baseball.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.