3 San Diego Padres players most likely to be dealt at the MLB trade deadline

San Diego Padres could trade Blake Snell at the MLB trade deadline

The second player that Preller can sell high from the pitching staff is Blake Snell. The pitching market is going to have a lot of arms available, but Snell would be the top left-hander along with Jordan Montgomery of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Snell's 2023 season took off after San Diego signed Gary Sanchez in late May. The two formed a very good connection and played a big part in the Friars making a move in the standings and closing out the first half before the All-Star break playing some of their best baseball of the season against the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets.

This season, he is 7-8 with a 2.61 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 114 innings. In his last seven games, he's 4-2 with a 0.69 ERA and 62 strikeouts with a WHIP of 1.27. As I have mentioned many times this season, his numbers are not an indication of how he's pitched in 2023. His record could very easily be .500 or better. In his last start on Tuesday night in a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, he went six innings allowing just two hits and one run in what could be his final start as a Friar.

Like Hader, Snell is a free agent this summer and there would be a long list of teams lining up for his services over the final two months. If he's traded, he won't have Sanchez to work with, but he's been so good this season that he would succeed with any catcher.