It is trade season, and the San Diego Padres will likely make some additions to the roster this week. 

The MLB Trade Deadline is roughly three days away.

It is like Christmas Eve for San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller.

The young Padres leader has a great reputation for trades, and his team will surely alter its roster this week. The club seems to be targeting both starting pitchers and middle relievers right now, though there are whispers the team is also looking elsewhere to improve the overall roster.

Joe Musgrove is reportedly close to returning to action, which will help. Yu Darvish is away from the team currently attending to a personal matter, and it’s unknown when he will return.

Dylan Cease is pitching unbelievably well right now, as are Michael King and Matt Waldron. Randy Vasquez stepped up in a big way recently, but these three men are approaching the most innings they have thrown in their careers. King, in particular, has already communicated about the innings limit—something he does not want to discuss.

We are still in July. The Padres will need help.

So, what are we to expect this week?

The Padres will trade. It is not in A.J. Preller’s DNA to stand pat and not tinker with his roster.

Let’s take a look at what the team is currently looking for this trade deadline.

Upgrade starting staff

At least one more pitcher will be required to make it through the 2024 season.

If the Padres want to compete in the playoffs, the acquired pitcher should be a top-of-the-order arm with upside; that is a tall order and something the Padres are currently striving for this week. The price tag for Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet is high and something the Padres will not pay. Leodalis De Vries and Ethan Salas should not be moved.

The rest of the Padres’ farm system is capable of bringing in a quality pitcher, though. The Padres possess major league-ready position players (Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario) and lots of young arms with unknown talent, led by Robby Snelling and Dylan Lesko. They could pay a hefty price tag if needed. It all comes down to how much the Padres are willing to pay and whom the team is coveting.

Preller is known for his creativeness so someone like Reid Detmers makes sense for the Padres. 

We will see what route they go in improving the starting staff.

Bring in set-up men to work late innings

Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejon are dominant right now. Yuki Matsui is also pitching much better and capable of getting outs late in the game.

Beyond that, there are question marks. Wandy Peralta, Stephen Kolek, and Enyel De Los Santos are battling inconsistency but are capable of contributing. The rest of the relief core is made up of unproven young players, none of whom can seriously be counted on to get outs when the season is on the line. The time is now to add veteran arms.

The Padres will pick through the losing teams in an attempt to find arms with upside. Someone like Jason Adam makes sense for the Padres.

This is an area the team can improve without giving up top-10 prospects in the system.

Offensive help in the outfield and at catcher? 

I know. I know. The offense is not an issue for the team right now.

The outfield is amazing with the production they are getting from rookie Jackson Merrill and veteran Jurickson Profar. But hear me out.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is hurt. As usual, we have no update on his injury coming from the Padres. He could be out until August or September, or for all we honestly know, he could be out for the year. David Peralta and company filled in nicely, but it’s time to think about upgrades. The team doesn’t necessarily need a superstar, but they need a player with a reputation for producing.

The Padres should consider this, though messing too much with chemistry can be bad. The ideal outcome would be for Tatis to return, as he looked like the best offensive player on the team before he fell to injury. But an upgrade may need to be attained this week.

As far as the catcher position is concerned.

Luis Campusano is young. His defense is still lacking. The team may explore attaining a player who is comparable with the bat but brings more of a defensive presence to the game. Perhaps a left-handed hitter to complement Kyle Higashioka. This is not an easy upgrade, though, and surely low on the list of things to improve for the Padres.

The Padres will be active this week.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.