San Diego Padres: Could A Trade Still Happen With The Dodgers?

There isn’t a lot of time on the clock, however, the San Diego Padres could still find themselves making a deal.

It’s a long shot and there have been no official grumblings about a potential deal between two franchises, however, could the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers work out a last-second deal as the Dodgers make a final push for the 2018 playoffs?

At the time of this writing, the Dodgers are 70-61 and find themselves two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and one game behind the Colorado Rockies in the National League West. While the team has won six of their last ten games, the bullpen has become a serious concern.

Closer Kenley Jansen missed time recently with an irregular heartbeat and hasn’t been his normal self since. In his last three outings, Jansen has pitched three innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, including four home runs. That’s not a typo, he has given up four home runs in his last three outings.

Scott Alexander leads the team in appearances since the All-Star break but has struggled significantly during the month of August. Alexander pitched to a 0.73 ERA and a 14/3 K/BB ratio in 12.1 July innings but has done a 180-degree turn this month. Across his 10 outings, Alexander has a 6/5 K/BB ratio, a 6.75 ERA and is just 1-4 in save opportunities.

Kenta Maeda has struggled as a starter, Ross Stripling‘s return from injury has been pushed back, and Julio Urias, more than likely, will not be contributing for the Dodgers, as much as the team wants him to.

Los Angeles made the move and traded for Manny Machado in order to win a World Series. If they want to achieve that goal, they may need to address the pitching concerns.

What can the San Diego Padres offer?

Again, there hasn’t been any discussion of the two teams talking but it makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers to come calling.

Both Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates were on the table at the non-waiver trade deadline but ultimately remained with the organization after the market became flooded with relief pitching.

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Yates was fantastic through the month of June, including 14 scoreless innings in June, but has struggled to keep runs off the board in July and August. While he has given up nine runs in 16 innings (including four home runs), Yates has 29 strikeouts and just four walks across that same span.

On the other hand, Stammen has remained consistent throughout the entire season. In 59 outings, Stammen is 6-2 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts. Either pitcher could be a valuable addition to the Dodgers and their chances to secure a playoff spot.

Will a trade between the two teams happen? More than likely, no. However, never count out AJ Preller’s ability to pull something off. This could be an opportunity to add another prospect and/or clear more space on the 40-man roster to bring up another minor league arm.