San Diego Padres: 4 players who won't survive the trade deadline

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The 2023 MLB trade deadline is two weeks away and time is starting to get thin for the San Diego Padres. Losing three out of four to begin their 10-game road trip has put their postseason lives on life support if the final two series against the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers don't go well.

General manager A.J. Preller is going to have to make some. tough decisions ahead of the deadline and his decisions will ultimately be made by the players on the field. He has three ways he can go — buy, sell, or stand pat. Unless there is a winning streak in the Friars' future in the next two weeks, the GM might be left with selling or standing pat.

If Preller decides to sell, he was some pieces that could be used to get a decent haul back in return or he could look to move some minor pieces. Regardless of what happens before the deadline, you have to think that Juan Soto is someone who is safe as he has another year remaining on his contract and you have to think that the Padres are going to go all-in again in 2024 to erase the memory of 2023.

San Diego started clearing some roster spots in early July when they DFA'd Nelson Cruz who never really was able to find consistency in the lineup. He was not the hitter Preller was hoping he was getting when he signed him as a free agent over the winter for lineup depth.

San Diego Padres: 4 players who will not survive the trade deadline

This has been a disappointing season to date for the Friars and they have had several players underperform from their stars to their role players, both on the field and on the mound. Cruz will not be the last person to leave Southern California before the next two weeks are over. Preller has options to move out and here are four players that could see their time in San Diego come to an end.

San Diego Padres v Washington Nationals / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

Rougned Odor

The Padres signed Rougned Odor to a one-year, $800,000 minor league contract in March and the utility infielder has played in 59 games. The 29-year-old is slashing .210/.306/.370 on his fourth team in the last four seasons. He spent the 56-game shortened 2020 season with the Texas Rangers, then was with the New York Yankees (2021) and Baltimore Orioles (2022) before signed with the Friars.

He has split left-handed DH at-bats with Matt Carpenter but has also filled in around the infield, but his error on Saturday in Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Philadelphia Phillies started a rally that led to a tough 6-4 loss. His recent struggles at the plate and in the field have not helped his cause to get more time and moving him at the deadline to a team looking for depth is an easy transaction for Preller. He is someone who will not be part of the roster after this season.

Austin Nola

Things have been so bad with Austin Nola that Preller had to go out and sign Gary Sanchez, who has essentially taken over the catching duties. His numbers are dreadfully low this season as he's slashing just .146/.260/.192. It might be time for the Padres to give Luis Campusano a look.

A lot of players can benefit from a change of scenery and one of those players might very well be Nola. Sanchez is playing well both behind the plate and at the plate to give him as much of the remainder of the season as he can handle. Adding a catcher if you can get a team to take Nola is not out of the question for the Padres as another need.

Championship Series - Philadelphia Phillies v San Diego Padres - Game Two / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

Matt Carpenter

Like Cruz, signing Carpenter over the winter was a low-risk, high-reward move after the season he had in 2022 with the Yankees, but after giving him $12 million over two seasons, it's a deal that Preller would like to get out of. I wrote earlier about having patience with the veteran, but as the deadline approaches, his time should be running out.

His at-bats are being split with Odor, but Carpenter is also struggling. Losing both Odor and Carpenter would be tough to replace, but for San Diego, it's either about getting a more productive bat for a second-half run, or dumping both players and in Carpenter's case, getting out from under his contract. Preller has to be able to find a left-handed bat in a deal.

Blake Snell

If things continue to spiral downward for the Padres and they fall out by the deadline, what a haul Blake Snell would give them in return. He's pitching the best that he has all season and a lot of it has to do with Sanchez's arrival, but trading Snell to a contender when he's a free agent following the season could be a sneaky good deal.

Snell would be a welcomed addition to a contender and even a reunion in Tampa Bay with the Rays would not be out of the question. They generally don't make big splashes at the deadline, but they know what they would be getting in Snell. He has been dominant as of late and raising his stock up there with Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs. This is Preller's best trade chip in two weeks should he decide to move him.

Preller has options to sell and these would be good pieces that would fit in for a contender for the final two months should San Diego count themselves out. Snell would bring back the biggest haul in return, but there is no way that Soto gets moved. It's clear that some players are not going to survive the trade deadline with the Friars, it's just a matter of who.

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