Padres Editorial: So, Where’s That New Shortstop?

A.J. Preller surprised the baseball world by remaking the San Diego Padres lineup at almost every position: Outfield (Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers), Catcher (Derek Norris), Starting Pitching (James Shields), Relief Pitching (Craig Kimbrel), and Thirdbase (Will Middlebrooks).

Then, right as the Padres were opening their first series of the 2015 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, rumors began to swirl that Preller had one more spot in the infield he wanted to upgrade: Shortstop.

Not content with what he had seen from Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes, Preller began contacting ball clubs who either had talented shortstops with contracts they’d like to unload or a plethera of big league ready players they could trade to improve in other positions of need.

Since that early April news broke we’ve heard many names linked to the Padres as potential trading targets. Players like Troy Tulowitzki, Jean Segura, Javier Baez, Starlin Castro, Eduardo Escobar, and Elvis Andrus – just to name a few.

So, why haven’t the Padres made that last trade to complete Preller’s 2015 lineup? Well, there might be a few reasons…

1. Teams as asking for more than the Padres are willing to part with.

This offseason, the Padres and Preller announced to the entire league that they are ready to compete and that they want to win now. May was a tough month for the Padres and the other MLB clubs smell blood in the water. They know that the Padres might be desperate and that gives them the leverage when it comes to what they want in return.

2. The Padres don’t have the kind of players or prospects other teams want.

Preller traded away a lot of the Padres top prospects with the exception of Austin Hedges (now with the club) and Hunter Renfroe. Many suspect that along with an offensive prospect, a starting pitcher might be required too. Ian Kennedy would be the obvious answer for the Padres since this is the last year of his contract, but given his recent pitching performances, that might be a tougher sell now than it would have been in April.

So, where does this all leave the Padres at Shortstop? Well, right now it looks like we’ll have to suffer more Amarista and Barmes grounding out into double plays. As we get closer to the trade deadline, where the Padres find themselves in the Playoff race will determine if they’re buyers or sellers.

What do you guys think the Padres will do? Who should we trade and who should we trade for?

It’s too bad we already have Trea Turner promised to the Washington Nationals because the shortstop prospect is currently hitting .333/.405/.508 in Double-A…I wonder if there’s a way Preller could work out a deal to keep him?

Padres Editorial: So, Where’s That New Shortstop?

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