Jeff Passan's Padres take might've contradicted his trade deadline column

At some point, you’d expect the Padres rumor mill to quiet down. But when it comes to A.J. Preller, it just doesn’t work that way. This season, Tarik Skubal is the arm that every team should want. And there’s nothing complicated about that. 

Jeff Passan’s recent Padres take on Foul Territory makes it interesting though. He essentially pumped the brakes on San Diego as a serious chaser. His point was simple. He didn’t know if this Padres team was the one that would go out and make that kind of move.

But then, as part of ESPN’s larger trade deadline board, it feels a little strange when viewed through a Padres lens. Because in that column, Passan and Kiley McDaniel still connected the Padres to several big names as potential fits. Including Skubal, but not limited to him. They added Byron Buxton, Willson Contreras, Christian Walker, Joe Ryan and Reid Detmers all as Padres possibilities in some form.

It gets messy there, because which one is it?

Tarik Skubal rumors should force Padres to be honest about their deadline plan

The Padres can be aggressive without being reckless. That’s probably a sticky note attached to Preller’s desk.

But the reality is that the Padres are not an ace away from the World Series. They are a pretty flawed team hovering around .500 with an offense that’s underperforming. 

So when Passan says he isn’t sure this is the Padres team that goes all the way in on Skubal, that sounds like common sense. It also sounds like the same logic hiding inside ESPN’s own realistic fit list.

Skubal was described as a fit for every contender in theory, because…duh. But the more realistic list reportedly included teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Brewers, Blue Jays and Rays. Not the Padres. And that omission should feel like a warning. 

The Padres are in such a weird spot. They’re too talented to wave the white flag. And they are too flawed to empty what’s left of the farm for a star rental. So, they are stuck having to make the most of living in the middle ground. 

Some of the other names listed would make more sense than Skubal. Joe Ryan or Reid Detmers? Why not? Both would help the Padres beyond the 2026 season. 

And that’s the kind of deadline lane the Padres should be living in.

Buxton is more complicated. He would address a real need if the Padres want a dynamic outfield bat, but that kind of move comes with injury risk, money and prospect cost. Also, would you stick him in left field? Or move Jackson Merrill over? Just a little odd. 

Willson Contreras and Christian Walker are good players. But Gavin Sheets and Ty France have been two of the better support pieces on the roster. They haven’t been the problem. So unless the Padres are reshuffling the roster in an even bigger way, spending deadline capital at first base feels like buying a new couch while the kitchen is on fire.

So, it sounds like Passan is drawing a line while also still entertaining the possibility of a big Padres-style splash. But the Padres should actually respect the line. They should still work the deadline and look for controllable pieces. But Skubal may not be the move for this team. And pretending that he is could make the long-term outlook of the team even uglier. 

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