Padres’ historic Cubs embarrassment makes buying at the deadline look reckless

There are losses that should walk straight into the front office and change the entire trade deadline conversation. Losing to the Cubs 23-3 at Wrigley Field belongs on that list. Don’t even burn the tape here. That’s too easy. This was the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. The Padres gave up eight home runs, tied a franchise record for runs allowed, and Rodolfo Durán, a catcher, had to pitch again.

The Padres are losing in a way that makes buying at the trade deadline look reckless. It’s interesting, because this is the time of year when teams lie to themselves. They try to convince themselves they’re one bat or one starter away. All they need is a hot stretch to start clicking again. 

The Padres can’t afford to do that right now. Not after getting swept by the Cubs, a team that’s also desperately looking for starting pitching.  

They’ve dropped five straight, now just one game above .500 for the first time since early April. And their starting rotation has failed to complete five innings in 10 of their last 14 games. 

At some point, the conversation has to shift from what the Padres can add to what the Padres should stop pretending.

The Padres have not earned a deadline rescue mission

We’re not saying blow up the core. Honestly, not sure if the Padres could if they wanted to. They’ve committed a ton of money to stars whose value is individually and collectively at an all-time low. How can you sell expensive contracts when Manny Machado (11-year, $350 million), Fernando Tatis Jr. (14-year, $340 million) and Jackson Merrill (9-year, $135 million) are all in a down year? Xander Bogaerts has shown improvements, but ultimately hasn't lived up to this 11-year, $280 million deal. 

Hypothetically, moving those pieces (perhaps with the exception of Merrill and Tatis) would probably require the Padres to eat a ton of that cash just to move them. 

Just look at how the Cardinals approached their reset. They moved their veterans and absorbed a ton of dead money. However, they did turn that into elite prospect capital. Suddenly, they’re one of the league's biggest surprises with a 44-39 record. 

The difference is the Cardinals already had the prospects to build around. The Padres can’t exactly replicate that model. They have Ethan Salas, and that’s pretty much it. Imagine if they still had Leo De Vries to jumpstart their reset. It would make selling right now more marketable and easier for the fanbase to stomach. 

That doesn’t mean landing Mason Miller was a bad thing. Having an elite closer is fantastic in theory. But there’s not much point in having a monster at the back of the bullpen if the team keeps getting stomped so badly that there’s no lead for him to protect.

But the Padres should absolutely be looking at a different kind of deadline. A soft, practical sell. One that keeps the core intact but collects on all the movable pieces. Maybe someone has an interest in Jake Cronenworth. Gavin Sheets has one more controllable year left and he could command a package while his value is high. And there’s a ton of short-term veterans to move around to at least make your farm somewhat interesting again. 

Because what exactly would the Padres be buying for right now? They look outmatched and need entirely too much help to justify going all-in for another year. 

This is where A.J. Preller has to be careful. The Padres are close enough to talk themselves into buying. That is the danger. A team hovering around .500 can always find a way to sell itself on the next addition. Especially a team with star power.

But being close in the standings is not the same thing as being close to winning something meaningful.

They don’t look like a team one trade away from scaring the National League. They look like a team that would need multiple fixes just to stop leaking. 

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