Could JJ Bleday solve the Padres’ left field predicament?
Credit: USA Today Sports
Could a former top draft pick rediscover his footing in San Diego?
With the Athletics’ recent tailspin prompting the team to bring up many of their MLB-ready prospects, one player lost in the shuffle was outfielder JJ Bleday.
The former Marlins first-rounder had his best professional season in 2024, but was caught in a slump and positional logjam to open 2025.
With Lawrence Butler, Denzel Clarke, and Tyler Soderstrom having breakout campaigns of their own (or building upon breakouts in Butler’s case), Bleday was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month.
We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/Pfqv7IZCdO
— Athletics (@Athletics) May 23, 2025
While Bleday didn’t perform very well in 167 at-bats this season, there remains some intrigue about what his full potential could be.
Firstly, Bleday isn’t a prototypical slugger, as his sprint speed of 27.6 feet per second ranks in the 56th percentile in MLB. Bleday also has a strong arm in the outfield, ranking in the 82nd percentile in arm strength and 93rd percentile in arm value. His range isn’t ranked as highly, but his fielding shows improvement when he is playing in a corner outfield spot compared to center field.
Bleday ranks as an average defensive outfielder in left field, but subpar in center. The Padres have a need for more thump out of the left field position, as they have found themselves playing Gavin Sheets in left field when other players are at the DH position
With a shortage of left field trade options, the Padres should consider acquiring a bat on the buy-low with upside and minor league options remaining. It is worth noting that Bleday has posted an untenable .231 BABIP this season (the MLB average is between .290 & .300). The numbers show more evidence of possible positive regression to the mean, as Bleday has posted the largest hard-hit rate of his career (40.2%).
Bleday’s walk and chase rates remain in the upper third of the league, and his struggles have not come as a result of poor plate discipline. Simply put, Bleday isn’t barrelling the ball up as often, and as a result, his power and slugging have seen a notable drop-off from his 2024 rates.
Bleday’s offensive strengths as a player line up with the Padres’ organizational philosophy, as well as “Petco Park hitting”. Even with his struggles this season, Bleday doesn’t chase many pitches, has an average whiff rate, and takes his walks. An 11.1% walk rate ranks in the 76th percentile in the league, while his 21.7% chase rate ranks in the 84th percentile league-wide.
So, what would it take for the Padres and Athletics to make this deal? The Athletics have one of the deepest farm systems in the league in terms of volume, with most of their pitching talent in the high minors. The A’s also have several position player prospects who are near-MLB ready, so there really is no lack of a match in a trade. The A’s have a need in the bullpen, as most of their pitching prospects are starters. The numbers don’t paint a pretty picture either, as the A’s bullpen has a cumulative 6.07 ERA and 4.66 FIP. This unit has also posted the league’s worst walk rate as a whole, with a 12.1% walk rate in 213.2 innings.
For the hypothetical trade, the Padres deal away a minor league reliever with potential for the former No. 4 overall pick.
Padres acquire: OF JJ Bleday
Athletics acquire: LHP Fernando Sanchez
Sanchez, 24, has pitched with both Fort Wayne and San Antonio this season, posting a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings of work. The left-hander has struck out 25.5% of batters while walking just 12.8%. Sanchez is a smooth-throwing southpaw with a wicked slider, and while he isn’t going to blast batters away with high-90s velocity, the sequencing of his arsenal allows him to generate whiffs. Sanchez did start 11 games in 2024, so the A’s could look at him as a multi-inning relief option, or they could revert him to a starter, though this should be seen as unlikely with arms like Jack Perkins, Gage Jump, or Will Johnston in their system.
The Padres are looking for left field help, and A.J. Preller is never afraid to make a gamble, known to look anywhere and everywhere for players who can help his team. Taking a low-risk swing at a former top prospect and draft pick might be the solution for the Padres’ left-field hole.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.