EVT Padres Trade Deadline Roundtable
Credit: MiLB.com
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is in just under one week, on July 30. At 56-42, the San Diego Padres will undoubtedly be buyers at the deadline.
There are multiple places where Padres general manager A.J. Preller can upgrade the roster, so here is what the East Village Times team thinks he will do.
What is the Padres’ biggest need?
Starting pitching:
“Chris Paddack has struggled, Blake Snell has underwhelmed, Ryan Weathers is still young, and Dinelson Lamet might be out for a while. The bullpen is taxed and tired. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have been phenomenal, but adding a starter and a bullpen guy would help in the long run.” – Matt Wadleigh(@wadleigh_matt24)
“The starting rotation is currently going through maintenance and needs a bit of improvement. Injuries and lack of production have caused for concern, so it’s time to go out and add one more key starter.” – Chris Spiering(@ChrisSpiering)
“The bullpen is being taxed. This cannot continue. The Padres need innings-eaters at the top of the rotation.” – James Clark(@EVT_JClark)
“Starting pitching outside of Darvish and Musgrove needs a steadying presence.” – Kevin Modafferi(@kevinmodafferi)
“There is far too much uncertainty in the starting rotation. Darvish is the only sure thing right now. Lamet has been on-and-off the injured list all season. Weathers has the recent ankle injury but shouldn’t be counted on for that many innings the remainder of this season. Musgrove has been struggling lately but should come around. Snell has been up and down all season, and quite frankly, is a liability on the road. Paddack has also found consistency elusive. At minimum, the Padres need to find an innings-eater that can lessen the burden on the bullpen.” – Alex Yeargan(@PadresAlex)
Bat:
“The offense as a whole has underperformed. The Padres need to add another bat so that there are no holes in the lineup.” – Sam Evans(@SamEvansSD)
Relief depth:
“There have been a ton of injuries and some recent inconsistencies. Another arm added out there will help out mightily.” – Bobby Murphy(@bobbymurphy2000)
Who are some possible fixes to the Padres’ needs?
Starting Pitchers:
“The Padres don’t need to acquire an ace, just a back-end rotation guy to hold down the fort with all the injuries.” – Matt Wadleigh
“Berrios is one of the elite pitchers in the game. He’ll come in and give the Padres a strong 6+ innings a majority of his starts.” – Chris Spiering
“Jose Berrios has an additional year of control and is only 27 years old. He would certainly be expected to make starts in the postseason if acquired. However, he would come with a hefty price tag.” – Alex Yeargan
“Adding him would benefit the use of another lefty in the rotation, and he is currently having a solid 2021 season.” – Chris Spiering
“Danny Duffy being a lefty and having a better season may cost a little bit more in prospect capital. He too is a free agent at seasons end.” – Alex Yeargan
The Kansas City Royals placed Danny Duffy on the injured list on July 20.
“Gibson brings veteran leadership and is also having a great 2021 season.” – Chris Spiering
“He’s a powerful young arm on a team that could be a seller. We are yet to see Castillo’s best.” – James Clark
“He’s a rental whose potential could be reached when away from Coors Field.” – Kevin Modafferi
“We know Zach Davies is a good pitcher that consistently goes deep into games. Since he is a free agent at the end of the season and the Chicago Cubs are reportedly sellers, he shouldn’t be too expensive as far as prospects are concerned.” – Alex Yeargan
“Max Scherzer is one of the best in the game. He has also stated he would require a contact extension to waive his no-trade clause earned from service time. That would certainly affect his cost.” – Alex Yeargan
Relief Pitchers:
“The Padres don’t need a ton of bullpen help. Chafin has nasty stuff and could help patch the back-end of games down the stretch.” – Matt Wadleigh
“Iglesias is a veteran arm that has been pitching above his standard this year. He has a powerful fastball to go along with a slider and changeup.” – Bobby Murphy
Bats:
“The Cubs will be selling anything they can get a good return for, and Bryant played at the University of San Diego, so a return to San Diego would be a good idea for a utility player with postseason experience.” – Kevin Modafferi
“Gallo possesses a ton of power and patience at the plate. While his power gets most of the attention, he is an elite defender in the outfield with a strong arm and can play corner infield, too.” – Sam Evans
What Padres players are you willing to part with?
“He doesn’t provide much besides base running.” – Matt Wadleigh
“There’s no spot for him on the roster. If he gets at-bats elsewhere, maybe he can improve at the plate.” – James Clark
“Although he is hitting better of late, Hosmer has been one of the worst first basemen in the league.” – Kevin Modafferi
“Paddack has a lot of value but hasn’t earned a spot on the postseason roster. He could be the main piece in a Gallo or Berrios deal.” – Alex Yeargan
What Padres prospects are you willing to part with?
“You can’t hold on to all of your top prospects if you want to win a World Series.” – Chris Spiering
“He has a high value that the team can deal.” – Alex Yeargan
“There is no set spot for Marcano in the future. C.J. Abrams light years ahead of him.” – Bobby Murphy
“He’s blocked at the majors.” – James Clark
How many trades do you expect Preller to make?
Two Trades: One (Kevin Modafferi)
At least two trades: Two (Alex Yeargan and James Clark)
Three trades: Three (Sam Evans, Bobby Murphy, Chris Spiering)
At least three trades: One (Matt Wadleigh)
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”