The San Diego Padres aren't ruling out being sellers at the trade deadline after a rough 50-game stretch
With the trade deadline two weeks away, buyers and sellers are going to become more visible in the coming days.
By the way the San Diego Padres played in the first couple of months, it seemed like they would be in the buyer’s market looking to acquire difference-making starting pitching, but a tough stretch since June may have the Padres fielding trade calls.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres aren’t ruling out the idea of becoming sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline and could make their top pitchers available for the right price if the team doesn’t turn it around quickly.
Among the players reportedly being discussed is right-handed starter Michael King, left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon and All-Star closer Mason Miller.
If Miller is traded, and growing speculation suggests he is up for grabs if San Diego is blown away by an offer, the Padres have discussed the idea of attaching shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the same deal.
“One option reportedly being discussed is the idea of attaching Miller to Xander Bogaerts as a way to shed the latter's undesirable contract,” MLB.com wrote Monday.
“Bogaerts, who owns a .645 OPS this season and will turn 34 in October, has more than seven years left on the 11-year, $280 million deal he signed with the Padres after the 2022 campaign. Bogaerts would also need to waive his no-trade clause to make a trade possible.”
Of course, including Bogaerts in any deal would have to be passed by him, but a change of scenery could be appealing to the veteran shortstop. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Bogaerts this season and he’s supposed to be an integral part of San Diego’s offense.
Bogaerts has just nine home runs, eight doubles and 38 RBI while slashing .223/.316/.329 through 94 games.
King was re-signed to a three-year, $75 million deal by the Padres this offseason, but the deal includes opt-outs after the first and second seasons. If San Diego fears he will opt out of his deal, trading him allows San Diego to recoup some capital.
Morejon is having another great year out of the back end of the bullpen for the Padres and would fetch a nice return in a trade with plenty of teams needing leverage arms.
The same goes for Miller, but a team would need to throw the house at San Diego for the franchise to move on from the best closer in baseball who they acquired for the best prospect in baseball at the time. His impact and team control will presumably make it extremely difficult to pry him away from a team that would rather keep him and compete for a playoff spot.
San Diego is just 2.5 games back from the final National League wild card spot despite being a game under .500 (49-50) entering play Monday.
