San Diego Padres rumors: Could Padres pivot to trading for Marcus Stroman?

After reportedly being in the hunt for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito before he was sent to the Los Angeles Angels, could the San Diego Padres land another big name on the starting pitcher trade market by making a deal with the Chicago Cubs?

San Diego Padres rumors: Is Marcus Stroman in play for Padres?

Rumors surfaced on Wednesday night after the Giolito-to-Angels deal was completed that the Padres had indeed been in on talks to acquire the 29-year-old right-hander from the White Sox. Knowing that, it sounds as if the Padres are still planning to be buyers at the MLB trade deadline, despite losing two of three games at home to the Pittsburgh Pirates to start the week.

Could that buying include Stroman? If San Diego was truly looking to acquire a starting pitcher of Giolitio's caliber, the move would make sense.

However, looking at the total trade package between the Angels and the White Sox (with reliever Reynaldo López also going over in the deal in exchange for two of L.A.'s top three prospects in catcher Edgar Quero and pitcher Ky Bush), it was a steep price for Los Angeles to pay. Would San Diego be willing to exchange top prospects to get Stroman in return? If A.J. Preller and the San Diego front office still believes this team has a run left in them, don't be surprised.

Sitting at 49-54, San Diego is 10.0 games out of the NL West lead and 6.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. There are three teams (including the Cubs, mind you) that sit between San Diego and the final Wild Card position, so there would need to be some ground made up. However, bringing on a quality pitcher like Stroman could not only boost the rotation, but also potentially revitalize a Padres team that is desperately in need of some kind of charge before August arrives.