12 players San Diego Padres could trade for during 2020 season

While there is still time for a big move to happen this offseason, we look at 12 players the San Diego Padres could trade for during the 2020 season.

A.J. Preller has been busy on the trade market this offseason for the San Diego Padres and might not be finished just yet.

However, if things go as we hope during the 2020 season we could see another big move at the upcoming trade deadline.

Of course we never know exactly how a season is going to transpire — who will get hurt, what teams will fall out of the race early, and what players will become available.

But let’s assume that San Diego has the season we are all hoping for and they go into July with a winning record and are less than five games out of the NL West and the NL Wild Card.

Maybe the West doesn’t matter quite as much in this scenario, but we’re thinking optimistically.

At that point I think we see Preller get a little more aggressive in the trade market to give this team a real shot at making the postseason in 2020.

Let’s not forget, his job is on the line this season. He’s going to do whatever he can to make sure this team is competitive.

I’ve put together a list of 12 players who I think could be of interest during the season that we believe will be available.

A lot of these names we’ve discussed before, so I’ll go over them briefly.

Chris Archer

The more I look at Archer’s numbers the more I get excited about the Padres possibly trading for him. For whatever reason, Pittsburgh is where good pitchers go to die.

I really think if you get him out of Pittsburgh and into a more pitcher-friendly park like Petco, we could see Archer become the top of the rotation pitcher he once was.

Walks and home runs were a big issue for Archer in 2019. But everything else was right on par with his career norms. As the Pirates start to rebuild, Archer could be the next one on the move.

Jon Gray

It’s starting to look like the Colorado Rockies will at least go into 2020 looking to compete. But if that goes the way I’m expecting it to, they could be busy at the trade deadline as sellers.

Gray has two years of control left and has the ability to be a top of the rotation pitcher outside of Coors Field.

Rental pitchers

Jeff Samardzija

This name probably won’t excite a lot of you, but Samardzija was really good last year; although his 4.59 FIP suggest that it was a little lucky.

But the guy does eat innings and could help take some pressure off a young rotation as you try to save them some innings down the stretch.

Trevor Bauer

I mentioned Bauer as someone the Padres might target in free agency next offseason. But don’t be surprised if he gets dangled around the trade deadline.

Now, I fully expect the Cincinnati Reds to be in contention this season, so Bauer might not even become available. If something goes wrong or they’re not as good as they thought they might be, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Reds try to get something for him before he becomes a free agent.

Marcus Stroman & Noah Syndergaard

The Mets are another team that is seemingly going for it in 2020, but if things don’t work out they could have a lot of trade chips at the deadline.

I grouped Stroman and Syndergaard together, but Syndergaard has two years of control left (or a year-and-a-half by the time of the deadline).

Both have top of the rotation stuff, and we know the Padres have had interest in Syndergaard in the past.

Controllable pitchers

Matthew Boyd

I’ll be honest and tell you I am almost shocked that Matthew Boyd is still a Detroit Tiger. It seems like he’s already been traded with how much trade speculation is surrounding him.

The 28-year-old lefty struck out a career-high 238 batter last season but really suffered from a poor defense in Detroit.

He’s under control for three more years, so the cost is likely pretty high. But if you think he can be a top of the rotation pitcher, he’s a guy the Padres should target as he’ll help carry them into this run of contention.

Mike Clevinger 

Clevinger also has three years of control left, but he’s a little older than Boyd at 29 and is right-handed.

But if the Indians find themselves crashing hard in the AL Central behind the Twins and the White Sox, perhaps they think about tearing things down and rebuilding.

Clevinger has quietly been a top of the rotation pitcher for three years. In 2018 he threw 200 innings with a 3.02 ERA and 4.2 WAR. This past season he posted a 2.71 ERA with a 12.07 K/9.

If he does become available this season the Padres should be all over him.

Others to consider

More from Friars on Base

• 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
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal
• Padres fail to land ideal Xander Bogaerts teammate at catcher

Again, there will probably be more names become available during the season, but these are the ones we believe will be available.

Whit Merrifield 

Merrifield is a guy we’ve discussed before and someone I would absolutely love for the Padres to get. But it seems like the Royals value him highly, and it’s not like his contract is putting restraints on them.

If things change during the season and Kansas City decides to make him more available, then he could be the answer at second base that San Diego is looking for.

Of course, that’s assuming that one of the five internal options they have for second base doesn’t pan out.

And Merrifield is capable of playing all over the field, so he’s not just limited to second base, but that seems to be his ideal position.

James McCann

The catching position is a huge question mark for San Diego going into the season. We know they’ve been rumored to look for other catching options this offseason.

And if Luis Campusano is moved in a separate trade, then perhaps they will need to go out and find a catcher through trade during the season. Especially if Mejia and/or Hedges isn’t working out.

It’s early, but there are 12 names to keep an eye on during the season that might become trade targets for the Padres.