San Diego Padres: 3 bold predictions around second-half trades, statistics and more

To say the first half of the 2023 season for the San Diego Padres was a frustrating one would be an understatement. Actually, it would be a major understatement.

One season after reaching the National League Championship Series and falling short against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Padres made some big offseason additions in an effort to get over the top. That has not been the case as they are 42-47 and 6.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot and 8.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.

The trade deadline is three weeks away and despite their place in the standings, it appears that GM A.J. Preller is going to be a buyer rather than a seller at the deadline. That's not surprising considering the money invested into the 2023 roster. Not getting back to the NL Championship series would be tough for the oranizaton to swallow, but missing the playoffs all together would be much more devastating.

The next two weeks are going to be big for the Padres in different ways and they get a golden opportunity to make up some ground in the wild card standings with a four-game set against the Phillies in Philadelphia. After that, a trip to Canada to face the Toronto Blue Jays is a big test for Bob Melvin's team.

As the second half of the season is about to get underway, here are three bold post All-Star break predictions for the Padres.