Padres: The case for and against trading Luis Urias this offseason

There is a lot of talk about the San Diego Padres trading Luis Urias this offseason. We look at both sides of the argument.

The San Diego Padres will need to part with some of their top prospects this offseason in order to make this team a contender in 2020.

And it’s starting to sound more-and-more like A.J. Preller is open to the idea of picking from their farm system to do so.

In a recent article from the San Diego Union-Tribune (may need a subscription), Preller is quoted as saying that they’ll determine which prospects they can build with and which ones they’re willing to trade.

Luis Urias no longer meets the requirements to be considered a prospect, but he’s still very young in his Major League career and many feel like he could be a big trade chip this offseason.

Before the 2019 season, Urias ranked as the 31st best prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America, and 23rd best according to MLB.com.

In just over 2,000 minor league at-bats he compiled a batting average of .308 with a .397 OBP and OPS of .830 with 36 home runs and 42 stolen bases.

He looked like a star in the making and the future second baseman for the San Diego Padres alongside Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop.

Urias got a cup of coffee in 2018 and hit just .264 with a pair of home runs in 48 at-bats.

And then he started the 2019 season with the big league club but struggled mightily out of the gate picking up just 2 hits in 24 at-bats in April.

He went back down to Triple-A and got his groove back. But even after coming up he had just 3 hits in 31 at-bats in July.

And that is why many people are already looking to give up on him.