Padres fans should brace for an A.J. Preller trade deadline first since 2019

A.J. Preller is not going to approach the deadline quietly. He will pick a direction, start calling every executive with a phone and drive the conversation. This year will probably be no different. The surprise is that, for the first time in a long time, Preller is publicly acknowledging that San Diego might need to move in the direction he has spent years avoiding.

“We’re going to go into the process open-minded to see what’s there and see what can help our club,” Preller told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. “We’re going to go in open-minded about whether it’s acquiring players or looking at it if we have to go another direction. All those things are on the table.”

Preller didn’t announce a fire sale or declare the season was finished. He gave himself enough room to change course if the Padres start winning immediately.

Still, we know what he meant. For the first time since 2019, San Diego could approach the deadline as a seller. 

A.J. Preller finally sounds willing to sell the Padres’ present

That possibility should tell us exactly how disappointing the first half has been.

The Padres reached the All-Star break at 48-48, sitting third in the NL West with an 11.6 percent chance of reaching the postseason, per FanGraphs. They also opened the second half with a roster that needs more than one strong addition. The rotation has holes, the lineup could use a spark and several injured pitchers are being asked to return and immediately rescue the season.

Preller would obviously prefer to buy because that’s what he’s good at. The guy didn’t construct an expensive core around Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill because he loves exchanging veterans for prospects at the deadline.

He also can’t pretend that 2026 is another season where the roster deserves an aggressive investment.  The Padres have spent years treating the deadline like a chance to solve problems created during the offseason. Sometimes it has worked. Other times it has produced five trades and 21 players changing teams in one day, like it did last summer. Either way, Preller’s instinct has always been to press forward. 

The 2026 Padres may finally force him to stop. There is no prize for throwing more prospect capital at a .500 team just because the expensive players are already here.

The next stretch should make the decision easier. San Diego started the second half with a gut-wrenching 7-6 loss to the Royals to start their 10-game road trip through Kansas City, Atlanta and Miami. The Braves and Marlins are among the teams the Padres are trying to catch in the playoff race. If they cannot gain ground against the clubs directly in front of them, the front office will not need another month of evidence. We will have our answer.

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