3 dream targets for the San Diego Padres at the MLB trade deadline

The San Diego Padres are unlikely to acquire any of these three players at the MLB trade deadline on August 1, but we can still dream.

Jul 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) rounds
Jul 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) rounds | Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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Jul 16, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA;  Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17)
Jul 16, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

3) Shohei Ohtani would be a dream trade target for the San Diego Padres at the MLB Trade Deadline

And then of course, there's this guy. The two-way Japanese superstar who needs no introduction.

Ohtani is every team's dream trade target, let alone just San Diego's. But the Los Angeles Angels recently changed their tune regarding offers for Ohtani, so perhaps the dream lives... for now.

It goes without saying how prospect-rich any package for the best player in baseball would be, and the Friars don't have anywhere near the ability to offer what the Angels would demand in negotiations, not even the bare minimum. The Padres understand this first-hand from their experience selling off the farm for those aforementioned Soto and Hader trades last summer.

The opportunity to acquire a talent as rare as Ohtani is undoubtedly compelling, but he will also be a free agent at season's end, which should be the avenue the Padres use to explore pursuing him.