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3 players the San Diego Padres can trade while still remaining competitive in 2023

When it comes to buying or selling this summer, the San Diego Padres are likely somewhere in the middle. Let's look at some possible seller scenarios for the club.

BySeth Carlson|
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers in the second inning during a baseball
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers in the second inning during a baseball | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
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Luis Garcia
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.

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