Padres Andrew Cashner Strong in Start – Where Could He Be Traded?

The Padres are seeking options to rebuild their franchise, and power pitcher Andrew Cashner returned to action Sunday after a stint on the disabled list. Will he be a part of the rebuild or a trade chip to acquire players who will be?

The Padres lost the game 6-3 to the Yankees but still won the series 2 games to 1. Andrew Cashner was solid, going 6 innings and allowing just 2 runs(1 earned). He struck out 6 on the day as well, walking just 2.

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With under a month to go until the August 1st trade deadline, the Padres are hoping he can show contending teams that Cashner has value to their value. His record is now just 3-6 on the season with a 4.42 ERA. Those two stints on the DL won’t do a lot to show teams he has moved past his oft-injured status either.

Cashner for the season has struck out 42 in 59 innings (6.4 K/9), a little under his career mark of 7.4 K/9). His career record is 29-48 with a 3.66 ERA. Last season he put in a career high of innings reaching 184, so the Padres had high hopes he could stay healthy again as they evaluate their options for the future.

I can’t imagine at this point why the Padres would want to invest in Cashner, who hasn’t shown he can stay healthy for a whole season and turns 30 years old later this season. If they are able to trade him over the next month they could probably get something decent from a team like the Red Sox or Royals looking to bolster their rotation for the pennant drive.

Next: Padres Offense Strong in June

If they don’t see a trade worth while, they could make a qualifying offer at the end of the season and get a draft pick if he declines and signs elsewhere. The quandry would be if he took the qualifying offer to try and put together a better season himself before hitting the open market.

The bullpen allowed the Yankees to expand the lead Saturday, and the Padres offense awoke with too little too late in the 9th after a dramatic walk off Saturday night. Just how many more times we see Cashner suit up for the Padres at Petco Park remains to be seen.