Ty France admits Padres are running out of time before the MLB trade deadline

The San Diego Padres could blame their disappointing season on injuries. They could point to an unreliable rotation or a lineup that has underperformed. Ty France kept it simple.

“We need to win some baseball games,” France told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “And we’re not doing that right now.”

That assessment came after Thursday’s 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves, which dropped San Diego to 50-53 and four games behind the NL’s final wild-card spot. France did his part, launching a two-run homer in the eighth inning, but another comeback attempt couldn’t overcome what’s fair to call an inadequate performance from the starting rotation.

More importantly, it couldn’t stop the Padres’ trade deadline clock from ticking.

Ty France knows the Padres are running out of time

Only 10 days separate the Padres from the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline. That leaves them with limited opportunities to convince A.J. Preller that this roster is worth investing in.

We all know Preller would prefer to buy. That’s what he typically does, and it normally wouldn’t take much. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Preller has continued signaling to rival executives that he hopes San Diego will be positioned to add before the deadline. The Padres are apparently down to wait until close to Aug. 3 before committing to buying, selling or threading the needle between the two. 

But the roster isn’t giving Preller much reason to remain patient. They own the NL’s worst record over the past two months. The rotation could surely use an upgrade from Griffin Canning. And Michael King is effectively the rotation’s only dependable starter.

The Padres desperately need starting pitching, but every loss makes surrendering prospect capital for another starter increasingly harder to defend. Preller cannot responsibly keep buying based on what this team could become if its current performance says a playoff berth is slipping out of reach.

France acknowledged that urgency. If they want to give Preller a reason to make another aggressive addition, they must force their way back into the race immediately. Going on a run after the deadline will be too late.

Morejón might now be the most valuable rental reliever available. Holding him for an increasingly unlikely playoff push would mean risking an opportunity to replenish a farm system that could use potential impact talent.

Going on a winning streak could give Preller an excuse to add the rotation help San Diego needs. But another lost series or two could shift his conversations from identifying upgrades to determining which contender will pay the most for Morejón, France or even Mason Miller. 

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