San Diego Padres Must Navigate the Trade Market Carefully

Inspired by some jovial banter with a handful of folks heavily-invested in the San Diego Padres (in which my argument was effectively toasted; respect), I felt obligated to give my $.02 on the matter.

This past weekend, Jon Heyman of FRS summarized the San Diego Padres’ trade market situation, listing closer Brad Hand and starting pitcher Tyson Ross as the most likely players to be moved. He alluded to some interest in Craig Stammen and to the possibility of the team moving one of their extra outfielders.

These are all valid candidates to not only be moved but they could all bring back more-than-decent returns from tried-and-true postseason contenders looking to plug a hole or replace an injured player.

Hand, who has excelled this season and is signed to an extremely team-friendly contract (three years, $19.75 million), would likely fetch the highest return considering his dominance and the unfamiliarity American League hitters would have with him.

Not having the veteran lefty as an option to close things out anymore, as well as not having the luxury of that ridiculous slider diagonally slicing its way through strike zones to effectively end the game once he comes in with a lead, could pose a threat to this team’s chances of remaining relevant through the summer.

That’s a longshot, but if they keep scoring runs and start losing games late, we’ll know where to point to as the issue.

More from Friars on Base

• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• 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

What about Ross?

Tyson Ross has been terrific this season but also serves as an anchor to this rotating cast of Padres’ starting pitchers.

After himself and Clayton Richard, there hasn’t been a ton of consistency to the back-end of the rotation.

Eric Lauer, Jordan Lyles, and the occasional “bullpen game” have held the fort down in Joey Lucchesi‘s absence.

They’ve also capably filled the voids left by the early injury to Dinelson Lamet and the early departure of Luis Perdomo to Triple-A.

By removing Ross from this equation, especially when you consider the leaps and bounds this staff has taken with two veterans giving the team quality start after quality start over the last month or so, it could throw things way out of whack.

The back-end of the Friars rotation may not be ready to shoulder the mental effects of spiraling out of control if/when the team moves Ross. Richard isn’t going anywhere so he could take on double-duty helping to reign in the talents of a young supporting cast.

Preller surely has a great grasp on all of this; have faith

Though, contrarily, Ross’ value will likely not be much higher than it is right now once the deadline rolls around. If AJ Preller can strike a deal while the iron is hot, he could conceivably recoup a blue-chip prospect or two from the right team.

Waiting out the market or the team’s performance, whether Preller is hoping to secure maximum returns or attempt to come closer to pinpointing this team’s true identity, could have considerable ripple-effects down the line.

Next: Padres Remaining on RISP Leaderboard

It wouldn’t be out-of-line to suggest that this bubble could burst as soon as this week for the San Diego Padres. Let’s take advantage of the situation and get while the getting is still good.