3 players the San Diego Padres can trade while still remaining competitive

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There's a lot riding on how the month of July goes for the San Diego Padres. No pressure or anything inside Petco Park, right?

How the team performs between now and weeks leading up to the August 1 trade deadline will inform the decision to push all their chips in to make a run this season, or if they'll reset in an attempt ro reload for 2024. But regardless of which direction San Diego takes, you can count on something happening, because in the words of Padres' owner Peter Seidler: "You know we’re always open for business."

Let's take the seller's perspective and break down three players the Padres could trade this month while still remaining competitive down the stretch.

1) The San Diego Padres could trade Michael Wacha and remain competitive in 2023

Wacha, 32, has resurrected his career in one of the more positive developments for the Padres this season. With a 2.84 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 15 starts, the veteran right-hander has quickly become a trusted option for manager Bob Melvin before landing on the injured list.

Signed to a one-year contract in the winter, Wacha doesn't necessarily factor into the Padres' 2024 plans as of now. Why do I make mention of this? Well, if San Diego decides to sell, they should trade pieces that are rentals for this season, because the intent would clearly be to retool for another run next season with this star-studded, albeit top-heavy core.

Selling Wacha now would also be capitalizing on his peak value, as the righty's 3.75 FIP indicates he's had some good fortune in San Diego thus far. The full run differential between his ERA and FIP is pointing to clear second half regression. And with Blake Snell pitching well, Joe Musgrove finding a groove and Seth Lugo's return to the rotation, the Padres do have other reliable starters.

If the Padres are willing to eat the bulk of his remaining salary, it's possible they could net a decent piece or two for Wacha given the lack of quality starting pitchers available at this year's deadline.

San Diego Padres v Cincinnati Reds / Dylan Buell/GettyImages

2) The San Diego Padres could trade Luis Garcia and remain competitive in 2023

On the surface, reliever Luis Garcia's stats look awful for 2023, with a 5.93 ERA in 30 appearances. But other numbers, like his 4.10 FIP and 57 percent ground ball rate (up from last year), illustrate past misfortune and potential positive regression on the way.

Garcia, like Wacha, only has this season guaranteed on his contract, and will be a free agent at the end of the year. And though the Padres need bullpen help, they can expect to get setup man Robert Suarez back at some point, who would be an obvious in-house upgrade over Garcia.

An analytically-driven team like the Rays or Dodgers that sees some of these underlying metrics might be willing to take a flyer on Garcia despite his subpar stats. And for a player on an expiring contract that isn't guaranteed to return to San Diego in 2024, it's worth the Padres' time to explore the trade market for soneone like Garcia.

San Diego Padres v San Francisco Giants / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

3) The San Diego Padres could trade Nick Martinez and still remain competitive in 2023

Martinez has been pretty successful since returning stateside with the Padres after a few years pitching overseas in Japan. So far in 2023, the right-hander has a 3.94 ERA and 4.22 FIP across 33 relief appearances.

Martinez, like Wacha, is only guaranteed this season on his contract with San Diego. The remaining years before he'll once again reach free agency are club options, which the Padres could conceivably pick up. Having those options could act as leverage in trade talks with other teams.

But why would the Padres deal Martinez? Firstly, he's not a lock for the 2024 team. Notice the motif here? It's all about reloading for next season if the team decides to pivot and sell. Additionally, he's got enough surface value where another team might be intrigued to slot him in as a swing man (he does have starting experience in the big leagues), which would make him more valuable to another club than he is to the Padres, where at most he's a bulk reliever.

Again, the Padres are merely "open for business." There's no telling for sure whether they'll buy, sell or do both in July. For now, though, it's on the players to determine how the circumstances surrounding this team will unfold leading up to the the trade deadline.

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