5 trade destinations for Blake Snell if the San Diego Padres decide to sell

The San Diego Padres came into the 2023 season with expectations of winning the World Series. They were three wins shy of a pennant last season and added Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. to this team that was also getting Josh Hader and Juan Soto for a full season. The Padres seemed destined to make another deep run in October, but have found themselves being the most disappointing team in baseball.

At 44-50, the Padres are 10.0 games back in the NL West and are 8.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot. Eight games isn't an insurmountable deficit, especially for a team as talented as this one, but they haven't clicked all season. Just when it looked like they were clicking before the break, they wound up losing three of four in Philadelphia and have a three-game series against the surging Blue Jays on the horizon.

The smart thing to do (barring an unexpected crazy run before the deadline) is to sell. That doesn't mean to trade Tatis and everybody, but it does mean guys on expiring contracts should be moved. Blake Snell is one of those players. So many teams will be looking for starting pitching, and Snell could easily be the best name not named Shohei Ohtani available.

1) Padres trade destination for Blake Snell: Houston Astros

Astros General Manager Dana Brown made is abundantly clear that the Astros number one priority at the trade deadline is to add a starting pitcher. With there being virtually no chance the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani to their division rivals, Snell might just be the best option they've got.

The Astros need for a starting pitching wasn't expected entering this season, but injuries to Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy has Houston in desperate need of another arm. Urquidy will be back, but McCullers Jr. and Garcia are done for the year.

J.P. France has solidified himself nicely as a fifth starter to go along with Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Hunter Brown, but that fourth starter is still unoccupied. France has made 12 career starts, it's fairly obvious Houston doesn't envision him being in their postseason rotation.

Snell is a battle tested pitcher who has pitched in a World Series before back in 2020 with the Rays. He's known for being pulled early despite cruising in an elimination game which the Rays blew following his departure.

Houston wants to win and pitching is their biggest priority. They don't need a pitcher with team control, they just need someone to help this season with so many pitchers hurt.

2) Padres trade destination for Blake Snell: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have arguably been the most surprising team in all of baseball this season. At 57-35, they're just one game back of Snell's former team, the Rays, of first place in the AL East. Baltimore is being led by youngsters like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson but they lack an ace. Enter Blake Snell.

The one weakness of this Orioles team is their starting rotation. Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish are having great years, Dean Kremer and Kyle Gibson are decent veteran arms, but the Orioles clearly need a number one starter to be taken seriously.

Snell might've gotten off to a rough start this season, but his 2.71 ERA on the season would make him the clear ace of Baltimore's staff, and his 0.62 ERA in his last ten starts would make him arguably the best pitcher in baseball in that span.

What makes the Orioles such an intriguing destination for Snell is his value is limited thanks to his impending free agent status, and the Orioles have a ton of prospects to deal. They have eight prospects in MLB.com's top 100 list. While Jackson Holliday wouldn't be in a Snell deal, there're several intriguing players A.J. Preller could pursue.

4) Padres trade destination for Blake Snell: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers would be accomplishing two things by acquiring Blake Snell. One, they'd be improving a rotation that, without Jacob deGrom, likely should be improved. Two, they'd be stealing him away from the Astros. Those goals should have Chris Young very motivated to work with the Padres and figure out a deal.

At 55-39, the Rangers are three games ahead of Houston in the AL West. If the Astros replace Brandon Bielak with Blake Snell, chances are those three games are made up in an eyeblink. They've put the pressure on by picking up Aroldis Chapman already, they must try and continue that by bolstering their rotation.

Their rotation which was completely overhauled this past offseason has exceeded anybody's expectations, especially with deGrom out. Nathan Eovaldi has pitched like a Cy Young contender, Jon Gray has been consistently steady, and even Dane Dunning has stepped up and been rock solid starting games.

There're a couple of issues with their rotation. One, Andrew Heaney has a 4.45 ERA and Martin Perez has a 4.84 ERA. They need to pitch better. Two, durability is a concern. deGrom is already out, Eovaldi and Heaney both have massive red flags when it comes to staying healthy. Adding another arm would go a long way depth-wise.

It'll be hard to top a one-two combination of Eovaldi and Snell in a playoff series the way they're going. With Texas' dynamic offense, one more starting pitcher might just be all they need.

5) Padres trade destination for Blake Snell: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are all in on 2023. They're the team that knocked San Diego out last season before falling short against Houston in the World Series. They went big in the shortstop market by signing Trea Turner, and spent a lot more money on guys like Taijuan Walker and Craig Kimbrel.

They've slightly underachieved, but at 51-42 they're just 0.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot. Adding another big arm could help them get over the hump.

The Phillies have Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Taijuan Walker entrenched in their rotation. Their biggest issue is their fifth starter. Bailey Falter began the year in that role but was so bad they had to send him down. Cristopher Sanchez has pitched pretty well in his place, but are you trusting Cristopher Sanchez in a playoff race to pitch every fifth day? Top prospect Andrew Painter was expected to contribute this year but injuries have held him back.

They might not need an ace like Snell, but go big or go home, right? A three-headed monster of Wheeler, Nola, and Snell would be tough to hit in October, and would give the Phillies their best shot of knocking off a team with an offense as good as Atlanta's.