With San Diego locked in a tight Wild Card race, a proposed swap for versatile defender Isiah Kiner-Falefa could stabilize the infield and spark a postseason push.
The San Diego Padres will be one of the many buying teams at this year’s trade deadline, as they currently sit in second place in the National League West division and 0.5 games out of a spot in the Wild Card series.
The third place in the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks, have been breathing down the Padres’ necks for weeks on end now, making the need for an aggressive deadline in San Diego even stronger. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer has a trade proposal in mind to give the Padres an advantage when fall rolls around.
His proposal would bring infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to San Diego in exchange for outfielder Jase Bowen, who would find a new home with the Boston Red Sox.
IKF is enjoying the highest OPS of his career at .701, and with him set to hit free agency this winter, the 33-46 Red Sox are certainly willing to trade him away in search of getting some return value.
While even his career-high OPS may not be all that impressive, IKF’s decent enough at the plate to make his overall presence a positive thanks to his defensive capabilities. Spending time at second base, third base, and shortstop this season for Boston, IKF ranks in the 96th percentile in outs above average.
His addition to the San Diego infield would allow Fernando Tatis Jr. to head back into the outfield – one of the weakest spots on the roster this season in terms of WAR. Slotting in at second base to round out the infield with Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Gavin Sheets/Ty France, IKF could be a valuable complementary piece for a team that has been lacking production from its stars.
In the hypothetical trade, Rymer has San Diego sending outfielder Jase Bowen to Boston in a straight swap for IKF. Bowen signed with the Padres on a minor league deal last offseason, playing in 16 major league games for the club so far.
At 25 years old, Bowen has struggled in the majors, as evidenced by his four hits and 14 strikeouts in 30 at-bats. The intrigue from Boston would be his upside after he put up a .962 OPS with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate this season.
While Bowen may not be ready to help the Padres as they pursue a postseason run this fall, IKF’s production could provide some much-needed stability in what has been far from a stable season for the Friars. It may not be the big move needed to catapult the Padres into the true contenders category, but the little moves cannot go overlooked.
