Padres trade deadline: 3 dream starting pitchers to target

Padres dream trade: SP Jose Berrios

Setting the sights down a little bit, the Padres could pursue the sure-to-be-popular Twins starting pitcher Jose Berrios.

While he might not be Max Scherzer, it’s not hard to see him as a useful addition to the Padres rotation.

Berrios sports a 3.48 ERA this season, with an only slightly worse FIP of 3.58. He’s striking out more than a batter per inning (126 in 122 innings), a 25.7% strikeout rate.

Career-wise, he’s carried an ERA of 4.00 or less the past five seasons in Minnesota.

The problem with this trade: The Twins might be asking for too much.

Per MLB Trade Rumors:

"The Twins are reported to be seeking a pre-arb Major League player and multiple top 100 prospects to part with their top starter."

The Padres may be willing to pay that price. They may be forced to pay that price to keep up with rivals.

If they do, at least they’ll know Berrios will be around next year too. He’s currently being paid $6.5 million with one year of arbitration remaining. So the price might not even be that high and fit into their plans to be competitive beyond 2021.