San Diego Padres: Jankowski/Dickerson Trade on the Horizon?

The San Diego Padres are in need of both pitching and a veteran outfielder. One of these necessities could be addressed through a Jankowski/Dickerson package.

The San Diego Padres are starting to become active in the pursuit of free agents and possible trades. This is exciting, as all fans realize what sorts of needs the team has. Most notably, they need pitching and a veteran presence.

While the team has hinted at some possible solutions for each of these problems, they haven’t made any major moves. It appears that the team won’t go after all of their free agents, so their needs won’t easily be addressed. Most likely, the Padres will need to utilize both trades and free agency to fill the necessary voids.

Even though it hasn’t been reported or posted on any trade rumors site, one very likely trade that could be in the making involves outfielders Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson. Both outfielders share time in left, and Jankowski also plays center.

If the Padres were to offer up Jankowski and Dickerson, along with Luis Urias, the Tampa Bay Rays may come calling. Depending on how serious the Rays are about contending in 2017, they could end up offering San Diego Alex Cobb or Chris Archer for the package.

This would help them because they are in need of outfield help right now, and infield help for the future. With their solid pitching rotation, the Padres could attempt to address their need of a boost in the rotation with a Tampa starter.

More from Friars on Base

• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal
• Padres fail to land ideal Xander Bogaerts teammate at catcher

As for their loss of Dickerson and Jankowski, it wouldn’t be devastating, assuming the team pursues other options in free agency. They are already looking into Eric Thames, meaning that the Padres are feeling the same way about a possible trade. Outfield depth on the current roster is not nearly their biggest issue, so Preller wouldn’t be looking at outfield free agents for no reason.

Plus, there is still a possibility that the team will re-sign Jon Jay. If this comes to fruition, they would really have a traffic jam in the outfield if they didn’t deal Jankowski and/or Dickerson. Trading them both to Tampa would therefore make a lot of sense.

Next: Margot Excels in AFL, Poised for Breakout 2017

There are so many other possible trade partners who would be willing to give up starting pitching for two outfielders and another prospect. This formula should be used by San Diego to bring in another starter to a thin rotation.