San Diego Padres: Players Most Likely To Be Traded This Offseason

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SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Make-A-Wish kid Levi Smith, 5, stands with San Diego Padres players and coaches during the national anthem before of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at PETCO Park on September 19, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

With the 2018 season wrapping up, let’s take a look at four players the San Diego Padres could end up trading this offseason.

With General Manager AJ Preller at the controls, no one can predict what exactly will happen with the San Diego Padres this offseason. What we can assume is that the Padres will be active this offseason. The team is approaching 100 losses on the season, so an obvious shakeup is necessary. There’s also the fact that the Friars have too many players and not enough positions to give certain players the playing time they deserve.

Next season is going to be another year of evaluating talent. Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen aside, the rest of the current bullpen is full of young arms that need more than a few weeks to show whether or not they have real value. Jacob Nix is showing promise in his pro debut and is sure to be joined by a large number of rookie starting pitchers such as Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill, next season.

As for position players, Manuel Margot has all the potential in the world but still needs to show he can go longer than two-three weeks of solid production before falling off. Andy Green wanted to give Christian Villanueva an opportunity to prove his versatility by playing more second base, shortstop, and first base, however, an injury immediately put an end to those plans. He could very well be given another chance in 2019. Lastly, rookies Luis Urias, Francisco Mejia, and Franmil Reyes will use 2019 to establish themselves as full-time major leaguers, wherever they end up playing.

So, who could the San Diego Padres look to move this offseason, to give players like the above mentioned the opportunity to reach their full potential? Again, no one knows for sure, but let’s look at four names who may find themselves on the trade block once the offseason begins.

Spoiler alert: You won’t see Austin Hedges mentioned. For at least one season, I fully expect to see San Diego utilize one of the best 1-2 catching combinations in all of Major League Baseball.

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