San Diego Padres: Way too early trade deadline thoughts

With about six weeks until baseball’s trade deadline, the San Diego Padres are clearly sellers. We take a look at who the team might deal to set them up for success in future seasons.

One of the most important times of the season for a rebuilding baseball team is the trade deadline. Labeled as “sellers”, these are the types of clubs that will trade some of their top players, oftentimes veterans, for prospects who are still a couple of seasons away.

A lot can happen between now and the trade deadline. So it’s even premature to assume that the Padres will be sellers. But for sake of argument, let’s look at the trade deadline at this point from a seller’s point of view, since it would take quite a turnaround in the next month and a half for the Friars to avoid this position.

San Diego has several desirable position players and pitchers for contending squads. Whether or not deals actually go through depends on two factors. One, whether or not the Padres are willing to let the integral pieces of their roster go, and two, whether or not there is a need for the position somewhere around baseball.

The Padres definitely aren’t going to let go of Wil Myers or Yangervis Solarte, two key pieces of the roster who were each signed to long term deals this past offseason. They also aren’t likely to get rid of young rising stars such as outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot, or starting catcher Austin Hedges.

Players who should be on the trade radar however include veteran shortstop Erick Aybar, outfielder Matt Szczur, and almost any part of the starting rotation.

Aybar is a 33-year-old seasoned veteran. While he is hitting just .215 on the season so far with just four home runs, he brings leadership and experience which is valuable for contending teams, as well as the ability to play multiple positions and be consistent defensively.

Szczur was traded to the Padres from the Cubs on May 8th, when San Diego was in desparate need of outfield help. Since coming over, the outfielder has proven to be resilient defensively. This, coupled with the fact that he isn’t locked in a large contract, gives Szczur potential to be pursued by contenders this trade deadline.

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As far as pitching goes, Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, and Jered Weaver are all options for buyers. This is because they all have two things in common, their experience and their contract status. Each of these starters are seasoned veterans, which is very desirable for contenders looking to add a piece, and they aren’t locked in any long term deal, which is another essential factor.

Whether or not San Diego would be willing to let go of these players is another question for another time. Identifying possible names is the first step though, and with the trade deadline still a ways away, the Friars have plenty of time to organize their strategy.

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In return, the Padres should be looking for more pitching prospects to continue to build on what they tried to accomplish during the draft, and/or a shortstop prospect who is almost major league ready.

With about six weeks until baseball’s trade deadline, the San Diego Padres are clearly sellers. We take a look at who the team might deal to set them up for success in future seasons.

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