The San Diego Padres had a tall task entering this season, competing with a Los Angeles Dodgers powerhouse that just added the best player in baseball. Yet, we’ve seen the Padres take big strides on their way to a 56-50 record entering MLB games today. This places them 6.5 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West division lead. However, the Padres are in control of the third Wild Card spot, for now.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are hot on their trail, sitting just one game behind the Padres, and the D-Backs just made a trade for left-handed reliever AJ Puk. So what’s in store for the Padres?
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San Diego Padres eyeing trade for Jameson Taillon
The San Diego Padres have plenty of arms, but not all of them have been healthy. This has led the team to call upon Adam Mazur, but he’s struggled to the tune of a 7.49 ERA across eight starts. That’s not sustainable for a team with playoff hopes.
Yet, according to The Athletic, the Padres are one of several teams interested in trading for Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon. Unlike many other pitchers on the market, Taillon is under contract for multiple seasons, before becoming a free agent in 2027.
However, the cost of his current contract may be scaring some smaller-market ballclubs away. Not the Padres.
- Jameson Taillon contract: 4-year, $68M, $18M salary in 2024, 2025, and 2026
If other teams aren’t willing to pony up and pick up the remainder of Taillon’s contract, their loss could be the Padres’ gain. He’s been excellent this season, posting the best year of his MLB career.
- Jameson Taillon stats this season: 7-5, 2.96 ERA, 78 K, 1.146 WHIP
Taillon won’t jump ahead to the front of the rotation, but bumping out Mazur could provide a major boost to San Diego’s pitching staff ahead of their postseason push. Now it’s just up to the Padres to find the right trade offer to get Chicago to agree.
Related: 10 MLB players who will be traded this week, including Garrett Crochet