Padres trade rumors: 1 trade to make and 1 trade to avoid

The San Diego Padres lack power and consistency in their lineup, and they seem to be trying to address that.

According to trade rumors, it seems as though the Friars are looking for outfielders, which is where some of the weakest results in the lineup come from. The outfield has the second-worst overall isolated power among all positions on the Padres.

Jurickson Profar is currently the best hitter among outfielders on the Padres. He’s far from being the best hitter on the team, but he’s still made a noticeable impact and is above team average.

San Diego is currently looking into players that could help make the outfield better offensively, and also a few that could make them worse.

The San Diego Padres should trade for Andrew Benintendi

Kansas City Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi has come up a lot in discussion among Padres trade rumors. Though he may not provide the most power in the lineup or hit as well as the best players, he’d still help improve the Padres’ offense.

His isolated power is weak (.091), but his batting average on balls in play is high (.339). He also has a decent wins above replacement (1.3) and is hitting .295/.365/.386. He hits with less power than Profar, but he puts the ball into play more often with a slightly lower strikeout rate.

Benintendi would also be realistic for the budget. He’s currently on a one-year contract with the Royals for $8.5 million and is eligible for free agency in 2023. He’s not highly sought-after, so the Padres could likely land him, and they should aim to.

The San Diego Padres should not trade for Joey Gallo

New York Yankees left fielder Joey Gallo is also popular among trade rumors, even though he likely wouldn’t be a great fit for the Padres.

Though his isolated power isn’t horrible (.173), he has an extremely high strikeout rate (39.1 percent) and 0 WAR. He’s hitting .173/.285/.346 and has an offensive rating of -1.9.

Gallo’s bad performance doesn’t seem to be from a season of bad luck, either. He’s consistently produced bad numbers and had a high strikeout rate every season. His lowest strikeout rate throughout his entire eight-season career was 34.6 percent in 2021.

He wouldn’t improve the lineup, and the Padres can’t take any more risks at making it worse.