The San Diego Padres could use some pitching help, and they are predicted to land one former Cy Young winner at this year's deadline.
At some point, A.J. Preller is going to make a blockbuster trade for the San Diego Padres.
he basically does that every season, and once the ownership sale is finalized, he might be able to spend and make some big moves.
After one month of the 2026 MLB season, the biggest area to address for San Diego is starting pitching.
Joe Musgrove looked like he would return from 2025 Tommy John surgery, but he is on the IL with no clear timetable. Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta suffered an injury and is out for months, and maybe even the entire season.
Walker Buehler has struggled, Matt Waldron has not pitched well since returning from injury, and former Rockies starter German Marquez has been off and on.
The Padres did sign Lucas Giolito, and he should be up soon, while Griffin Canning is right around the corner to making his Padres debut.
Still, there will be trade rumors, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had some early predictions, including the Padres acquiring star pitcher Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins.
Alcantara struggled in 2025, going 11-12 with a 5.36 ERA in 31 starts, but he has looked like a Cy Young candidate this season.
Through seven starts, Alcantara has a 3-2 record with a 3.04 ERA, and the Marlins have floated him on the trade block time and time again.
Last year, not many offers came in since Alcantara was struggling, but if he continues to pitch like this, the phone should be ringing off the hook in Miami.
Alcantara has a $21 million club option for 2027, so that could make things interesting for teams looking to land the 2022 NL Cy Young winner.
Enter the Padres, and although the farm system is depleted in San Diego, there is a path to something getting done.
"The Padres' current farm system is pretty much unanimously regarded as the MLB's weakest, considering all the prospects they've given up in big trades over the past few years. But who loves trading one MLB player for three or four prospects more than the Marlins do?" Miller wrote.
The Marlins have done that recently with Luis Arraez (Padres!), Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott and Jake Burger.
Miami traded Edward Cabrera this offseason also, so maybe Preller can piece together a three-prospect package to land Alcantara, although Ethan Salas and Kruz Schoolcraft might be off the table.
The Padres entering August with a rotation of Alcantara, Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Giolito would set them up well.