The San Diego Padres have played good baseball as of late and may have convinced GM A.J. Preller to buy some reinforcements at the trade deadline.
The San Diego Padres have been playing good baseball since the All-Star break and may have convinced general manager A.J. Preller to become buyers at the trade deadline.
The Padres had a brutal six-week stretch that had them firmly out of the wild card race by more than five games, prompting Preller to consider selling, but that was never his intention. He wanted to buy but needed a reason to do so – with another win Friday night, San Diego is just one game back from the final playoff spot.
There’s still a chance that the Padres must part ways with a couple solid relievers to help address a different area of need, but it seems less and less likely that All-Star closer Mason Miller will be one of those relievers.
The starting rotation desperately needs reinforcements and starting pitching is a position of need for most teams, so expect Preller and the Padres to be in the mix for most options.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan constructed a list of the top 100 trade candidates with their best fits and San Diego is listed for a majority of starting arms. I picked four that the Padres could target that would make a real impact this year and potentially beyond.
Los Angeles Angels RHP José Soriano (No. 22), LHP Reid Detmers (No. 10)
The Angels appear to finally be on board with selling off major pieces that could bring back a haul to a low-tier farm system. Soriano and Detmers are among the top starting pitchers on the market, and while it’s uncertain if interim GM John Mozeliak will have clearance to sell off one or both arms, they would transform San Diego’s thin rotation.
Soriano is 9-6 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 127 strikeouts to 57 walks while posting 2.7 WAR through 22 starts (123 innings). Don’t let Detmers’ 3-7 record or 4.04 ERA deceive you – he’s a legit strikeout specialist and limits baserunners. Detmers carries a 1.10 WHIP with 145 strikeouts (ninth in MLB) to 38 walks over 22 starts (125 innings).
At 27-years-old with multiple years of club control, Soriano and Detmers are the most expensive options on this list.
Detroit Tigers RHP Casey Mize (No. 17)
All of the attention is on Tigers left-handed ace Tarik Skubal, but Mize could be on the move as well and for a cheaper price. Like Skubal, Mize is a rental having a phenomenal season, which may jack up his price but because he’s older and is set for free agency at the end of the year, it would be easier to acquire him.
The 29-year-old is 4-6 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85 strikeouts to 19 walks through 16 starts (86.2 innings). It’s a career year but a shortened one – he spent six total weeks (two stints) on the injured list due to a groin injury.
Washington Nationals LHP Foster Griffin (No. 15)
Just like the Nationals, Griffin came out of nowhere. He was an All-Star this year after spending three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and reinventing himself as a dominant starter.
The Nats took a chance on him, inking him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal, and it has paid off tremendously. On top of Washington being in the wild card race, Griffin is 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116 strikeouts to 30 walks over 22 starts (129.1 innings).
A couple of prospects from San Diego’s depleted pool would more than likely allow Washington to cash in on the cheap flier they took.
The trade deadline is Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. EDT.
