MLB’s trade deadline frequently spurs action. We’ve seen plenty of that already, but the trade rumors haven’t slowed down. Typically you’re either a buyer or a seller, but the San Diego Padres could take a unique approach to the Aug. 1 deadline.
The Athletic‘s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal put their baseball sources together and came away with an interesting alternative scenario the Padres could opt for instead. One that sees them not become buyers or sellers. What? Here’s what one ‘high-ranking official’ from a National League team had to say on the Padres’ situation.
“They are in a really weird spot. Can’t imagine they sell. Feels like they do both.”
NL team official on San Diego Padres
The Padres are indeed in a tough spot. Sitting nine games back in the NL West, the Padres are not only in fourth place of their division, but they’re also 5.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. And there’s plenty of in-house talent that could spark a late-season turnaround.
Then again, why hasn’t this roster clicked already? Can anyone be sure the Padres will actually be in the Hunt for October?
The $249 million payroll certainly features a lot of star players, but that could easily lead to enticing trade offers from other teams around the league too. Big names like Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and even superstar slugger Juan Soto have been mentioned in trade rumors so far, but the latter still has a year left on his contract. Should the Padres really throw in the towel now?
Fans definitely won’t want to watch a losing ballclub for the rest of the season, and that won’t help attract more talent either, yet the chance to reload the farm system after paying so much for Soto could be exciting too, just not in the short term. With just under two days to go, it seems no one really knows what to expect out of San Diego, but you can be sure they’re planning for both scenarios.
Related: MLB trade tracker: MLB trades today with grades and analysis