Padres are running out of time to prove they belong in the buyer’s lane

The Padres are 42-37 and sitting in second in the NL West. In today’s Wild Card era, that’s technically close enough to talk themselves into almost anything. Sure, sweeping the Atlanta Braves will help morale. And with the lineup constructed the way that it is, it may be enough to convince A.J. Preller to stay aggressive heading towards the trade deadline.

But the Padres also don’t have the luxury of acting like this is another normal stretch on the schedule. Marty Caswell’s video of Craig Stammen speaking with reporters came with a question that was simple enough: “how crucial is this stretch for the Padres to prove they should be buyers at the trade deadline?”

It’s a question hovering over the entire franchise right now. Because the Padres aren’t buried. But they certainly aren’t cruising. They’re in the middle of the road, and they’re trying to stay cool and convince they know which direction they’re walking in. 

Padres need to prove they deserve A.J. Preller’s trade deadline aggression

Stammen’s optimism is going to be picked apart. Fair or not, it’s a continuation of the same theme.

In this video, Stammen looks calm as usual. Pretty much exactly how a first-year manager with a player-friendly reputation is expected to look. He is not going to publicly bury the roster. He's going to talk about the team playing the best they can with the players they have. Which is exactly what he did.

The issue is that Padres fans have heard enough. They aren’t specifically irritated by Stammen’s calmness. It’s frustration built from the time spent asking to trust what this team can become instead of showing what they already are. 

The replies to Caswell’s post were predictable because the frustration has been building. Some fans called Stammen a “yes man.” Others got really extremely wanting him and the coaching staff gone. There was the usual social media overreaction, but there was also some passion underneath it.

Fans don’t want to watch a roster with this much value drift toward the deadline like a team still waiting to figure it out. The Padres have enough talent to be taken seriously. 

But there are also enough reasons to be skeptical. It’s an offense that’s sitting at the bottom of the majors. The inconsistency is getting old. And the gap between what this team should look like and what it actually looks like has been way too wide.

With the trade deadline around on Monday, August 3, the Padres have the opportunity to prove they are a team still worth being invested in. 

That’s the assignment. And if they want Preller to go shopping, they need to give him a better reason than just simply being close enough, especially if they’re considering moving the only big names left in the farm system like Ethan Salas or Kruz Schoolcraft.

They are running out of time to prove they belong on the buyer’s side of the deadline. And if they don’t make that case soon, the decision shouldn’t be complicated at all.

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