Plummeting in the standings and desperate for offensive power, the Friars could salvage their postseason hopes by targeting high-upside bats Jo Adell and Seiya Suzuki before the deadline.
The San Diego Padres are struggling to stay afloat in the National League West after being at the top of the division just a short time ago. Now, they sit eight games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and just 1.5 games ahead of the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
Having a record of 4-12 since May 24, the Padres are in the midst of a huge slide that is threatening their return to the postseason. It may be a surprise simply because of the position they were in a few weeks ago, but San Diego’s struggles in 2026 have been no secret.
Injuries have played a big role this year for the club, with key players like Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Ramon Laureano all either missing or expected to miss a big chunk of time due to being on the injured list.
While injuries have been one factor, the main reason the Padres have fallen in the standings is due to their lack of star players showing up. Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. have not provided their typical value for San Diego this year, leading to an offense that consistently ranks among the bottom of baseball across the main offensive categories.
This is only made worse when considering that even San Diego’s support players, such as Jake Cronenworth, Freddy Fermin, Nick Castellanos, and Bryce Johnson, have simply been poor at the plate.
Simply put, the Padres’ offense has been a disaster, and if they want to save their season, they’re going to need to pull some strings at this year’s trade deadline.
Bleacher Report has a couple of fixes for the Friars in their latest article predicting the best landing spots for the MLB’s most wanted deadline hitters. The best move for San Diego to make, according to the article, is to make a move for Los Angeles Angels’ outfielder Jo Adell.
Adell isn’t having the same year as in 2025, in which he smashed 37 home runs, but his numbers are still better than what the Padres are getting out of their current right fielders. With a .240/.283/.386 slash line and a .669 OPS, the draw with Adell is the upside.
With one more year under contract after this season, before hitting free agency, Adell has flashed moments of brilliance at the plate while also going through long spells of non-existence at other times. The Padres are in desperate need of power and an overall spark in their lineup. Buying low on Adell could address both of those problems – if they get the best version of Adell that is.
Another name mentioned as a good fit for San Diego at this year’s deadline is the Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki’s floor is much higher than Adell's, but it would take more to get the 31-year-old with a .753 OPS and much better defense. The Seattle Mariners were listed as Suzuki’s best landing spot, but the Padres were noted as another landing spot to keep an eye on at the deadline.
Perhaps neither Adell nor Suzuki will end up in a Friars uniform in a couple of months, but one thing is for sure – there needs to be some players coming into town if the club wants any real chance at a chance come this fall.
