9 trade deadline bats the Padres should already be watching to fix their offense

The San Diego Padres entered the weekend with one of the worst offenses in baseball. This isn’t exactly news to anyone who has followed the team for more than a game or two this season. All of these stats are at the beginning of play on Friday, but even if you’re reading this later, they won’t be much different. They’re tied for second-worst in wRC+. They have the fewest runs in baseball. They have the lowest average and on base percentage and the second-lowest slugging percentage.

Perhaps worse than the fact that this is true, the culprits are the stars of the team. There’s probably no need to get into the particulars, but the two best active hitters right now are inarguably Gavin Sheets and Ty France. That’s no shade to those two, but on a team with Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and others, that’s not what you’re hoping to get.

And yet, the Padres, even while struggling to win games at the moment, are right in the thick of the playoff chase. That means all eyes are on the trade deadline, and maybe even before. 

9 targets for the Padres at the trade deadline to fix one of the worst offenses in baseball

It’s fair to wonder how the Padres are going to acquire these bats, but the good news is there might finally be enough pitching depth to flip for some hitters. Here are nine names to file away for now, but keep in mind as the deadline creeps closer. They’ll be listed in alphabetical order to avoid any favoritism (though you’ll likely see some favorites, too).

Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels

While he’s purely a rental, he makes a lot of sense. He has legitimate home run power and doesn’t cost all that much money. The Angels, as usual, are going nowhere, which makes a pending free agent like Adell a perfect trade candidate. There are real warts. In spite of the game where he robbed three home runs, he’s not especially good in the outfield, but he does hit the ball hard and could be super useful in a lineup that needs useful.

Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants

Ahh yes, the one who got away. Okay, maybe he didn’t get away, but he’s having a heck of a year in San Francsico and has somehow turned into one of the better defensive second basemen this year. All hail Ron Washington. There is a case not to bring him back, especially if the defensive numbers don’t hold, but the lineup could use someone who can consistently get hits. 

Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox

There is continued chatter that how the Red Sox view Duran isn’t matching up with how the league views him, but he’d be a big get given that he has a couple of years of team control remaining beyond this one. He is also a lefty, which doesn’t help some of the platoon issues, but he’s talented enough to figure it out later. He struggled early but has gotten going lately and would greatly help this offense.

Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals

This is the unglamorous, but sort of sneaky, useful name. Massey has been hot lately and is back to hitting as he did in 2024 when he was a big part of a Royals team that made the postseason. He will not walk, but he can hit the ball over the wall. He also needs a platoon partner, which may not be ideal, but he can also handle left field a little bit, so there’s some versatility here.

Mickey Moniak, Colorado Rockies

The homecoming writes itself. He grew up in Encinitas and starred at La Costa Canyon High School. It took him some time, but the first overall pick from 2016 put together a really nice year in 2023, stepped back in 2024, and was very good last year for the Rockies before a great start to this season that’s been temporarily delayed by an injury. There are cautions. He’s not good defensively, and Coors Field can be a bit of a mirage, but he’s hitting well enough to believe he can be a solid hitter outside of the hitter’s paradise as well. 

Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros

This is the longest shot and a fantasy in all likelihood, but if the Astros start selling, Peña might be on the board. He made his first All-Star team last year and has gotten hot this year after a slow start following an injury. He’s also under team control through 2027. There are some issues with Xander Bogaerts and Machado, but the Padres have never been all that concerned about making it fit positionally. File it under “dream big,” but at least file it away. You never know. 

Lane Thomas, Kansas City Royals

There is no splash here at all, but Thomas could be a right-handed bench bat for the Padres, who really need one. He’s hit them hard in his career. While the power hasn’t been there this year, he is getting on base at a nice clip and is pretty inexpensive as a true rental. You’re betting the power comes back at some point, but even if it doesn’t, he’s been a good OBP guy this year.

Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers

The Tigers insist they aren’t selling. Yet. Torres works walks and has enough power to keep the outfielders honest. But he could be a nice fit at the top of a Padres lineup that could really use a fit like him. 

Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles aren’t out of it, so they aren’t necessarily going to be dealing Ward, but he’s been rumored before (to a lot of teams). He has been playing through a hand bone bruise that has sapped his power, but he’s also still getting on base at a ridiculous clip. And if it’s just the bruise that’s killing the power, you have to assume that it’ll come back at some point. He won’t be cheap, and he may ultimately not even be available, but he checks the boxes for sure.

The Padres don’t need all nine, of course. But if they could get two or three of these players, even if it’s all rentals, that could be enough for the Padres to turn an offensive problem into something that can support a pitching staff that has done the heavy lifting for far too long this season.

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