4 ways the San Diego Padres can screw up the trade deadline

3) San Diego Padres can screw up the trade deadline by not selling high on Josh Hader or Blake Snell

If Preller deems them as a team that can't catch one of the teams ahead of them for a Wild Card spot, there is no reason why he should not sell high on either Josh Hader or Blake Snell. Both players are in a walk season and there's no guarantee that either will be back in 2024 and both should get a decent return for San Diego.

Snell has been very good since Gary Sanchez arrived in late May, but his stuff is good enough that he can be a big difference-maker for a contender. A reunion with the Tampa Bay Rays would not be out of the question. Hader has been very good out of the Friars bullpen and adding him to a bullpen can shorten a game by one less inning. There are plenty of teams looking for starting and bullpen help that would overpay at the deadline.

4) San Diego Padres can screw up the trade deadline by overpaying for Shohei Ohtani

Would the Padres like to have Shohei Ohtani? Of course, so would every other team. However, if the Los Angeles Angels decide to trade their star, whoever acquires him is going to overpay and overpay big time for a two-month rental who is almost certainly going to test free agency this upcoming winter.

With the position San Diego is in, overpaying for him does not make sense. Giving up prospects would be a colossal waste and if the Angels are smart, they would inquire about catching prospect Luis Campusano. You have to imagine that the Padres will be in on Ohtani over the winter in free agency and selling the farm in a year where it's not worth it is a mistake.