The San Diego Padres are in dire need of a left fielder, as their in-house options have not produced to the team’s expectations. A White Sox outfielder could be just what the team needs. 

On June 2, Jeff Passan linked the San Diego Padres as a potential trade fit for outfielder Luis Robert Jr. 0f the Chicago White Sox.

While Robert might be a flashy addition that could fit the narrative of A.J. Preller making seismic additions at the deadline (see: Mike Clevinger, Juan Soto, Tanner Scott), there is a White Sox outfielder that fits the Padres’ hitting philosophy that isn’t Robert. 

Enter Mike Tauchman.

Drafted by the Rockies in the 2013 draft, Tauchman has seen time with the Rockies, Yankees, Giants, and Cubs prior to his 2025 signing with the SouthSiders. As a player, Tauchman isn’t necessarily a Gold Glove defender, but has been praised for his eye at the plate and ability to get on base. Tauchman has shown impressive plate discipline over his career, as in 1261 career at-bats at the MLB level, Tauchman has a career .348 on-base percentage.

In his last two seasons, both spent with the crosstown Cubs, Tauchman has been roughly a league-average bat with one of the league’s best walk rates. He has posted one of the lowest chase rates in the game over the last two seasons as well (18.8% in 2023, 22.7% in 2024).

2024 also saw Tauchman hit the ball in the air a career-high 31.4% of the time, also pulling the ball in the air 12% of the time. These trends have remained in 2025, albeit in a small sample size this season. Tauchman missed six weeks from April 10 to May 23 with a left ankle sprain, but has hit .333 since coming off the injured list with two home runs, seven RBI, and a 7-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio. As a hitter, Tauchman’s ability to not chase outside the zone and draw plenty of walks works with the Padres’ hitting philosophy of selective aggression at the plate. 

Defensively, what does Tauchman bring to the table?

This season, he has seen most of his playing time in right field for the White Sox, but that could be since the White Sox have Andrew Benintendi locked into their left field spot. In his time spent in right field, Tauchman has been roughly average based on his defensive metrics. His sprint speed has been below average (25.6 feet per second), ranking in the 13th percentile among all players, but he improved to the 45th percentile (27.2 feet per second) in 2024. It is likely that the ankle injury contributed to his slower sprint speed this season, but it could also be a “correlations does not equal causation” situation. Tauchman’s arm strength has also graded out as roughly average, ranking in the 43rd percentile in 2024.

So, how does he fit in with the Padres should the team make a trade?

On one hand, Tauchman’s contract is not as exorbitant as that of a Luis Robert, who is making $15 million with an $8.33 million luxury tax number. Tauchman, on the other hand, is making $1.95 million this season with another season of salary arbitration. The Padres are not working with millions of dollars in room to add payroll, so adding a player like Tauchman makes sense for the team’s payroll space and roster needs.

In terms of the acquiring cost, the best comparison is really last season’s Tommy Pham trade. The White Sox essentially acquired two minor leaguers, neither of whom had played above Single-A, in exchange for Pham. Another good comparison from recent times is last season’s Jesse Winker deal, which saw right-hander Tyler Stuart (then the Mets’ No. 17 prospect) head to Washington in return. Stuart is a hulking 6-foot-9 right-hander with plenty of reliever risk thanks to a fastball that plays below its attributes. Considering these two trades, here is what a hypothetical trade could look like for San Diego:

Writer’s Note: The trade scenario is entirely hypothetical, using past trades and team needs as considering factors. It is not insinuating that any players involved will be traded. 

Padres acquire: OF Mike Tauchman, RHP Carson Jacobs

White Sox acquire: IF Luis De Leon, RHP Ruben Galindo

Spicing things up with a 2-for-2 trade, the Padres would (in this hypothetical) acquire Tauchman as well as an interesting relief prospect in Jacobs, in exchange for an outfield prospect having a good year and an intriguing reliever. 

What Tauchman brings has been highlighted, but Jacobs is an intriguing arm in the Sox system. Undrafted out of North Dakota State, the tall right-hander has struggled to a 7.17 ERA in 19.1 innings this season with High-A Winston-Salem, but his advanced metrics paint a better picture of his performance (4.90 FIP, 4.02 xFIP, 29.3% K rate). Jacobs has plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, as his 94-96 mph fastball gets from 16-20 inches of induced vertical break, and his curveball has plenty of bite with some arm-side bend, aided in part by his massive frame. 

Carson Jacobs gets the 2nd out in the 10th with big gas. #Dash pic.twitter.com/oDvBPBUSI3

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 20, 2025

Going back to the Sox in this deal are two Padre farmhands who have shown some strong tools. Starting with De Leon, the 19-year-old was rumored to be of interest to the White Sox in previous trade discussions. De Leon is in his first full season in the Arizona Complex League, but has shown impressive bat control early on, slashing .295/.368/.391 for a 108 wRC+. While he may be undersized at 5-foot-8, he has the speed and bat control to become a table-setter at the top of a lineup, or even a second lead-off hitter if slotted in the nine-hole. 

Also going to the South Side would be Ruben Galindo. While on the older side for a prospect, the 24-year-old Galindo has shown high velocity with an impressive secondary offering. Currently on a rehab assignment with the ACL Padres, Galindo has shown a fastball that can reach 96-97 mph, while sitting in the 93-95 mph range, and a solid changeup for his age and experience. He has been fairly consistent in his results across three minor league levels in his career, averaging between a 21.5-28.3% strikeout rate against a walk rate that has never exceeded 11.8%. Last season with High-A Fort Wayne, Galindo struck out 25.8% of batters against a 10.3% walk rate, although he missed time at the end of the season due to injury. 

All in all, the White Sox and Padres are familiar with one another, thanks in part to recent and not-so-recent trades. With the White Sox destined for another trade deadline as sellers, they have a player in Mike Tauchman who could fill a dire need for a San Diego lineup in need of more productive depth in the outfield.

Diego Garcia

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.