With the rotation ravaged by injuries and a Wild Card spot within reach, A.J. Preller must navigate the trade market to salvage San Diego’s postseason aspirations.
The second half of the 2026 season will be a fresh start for the San Diego Padres. Having a .500 record with 48 wins and 48 losses, it’s essentially a fresh slate for the Friars.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t high stakes for the remaining 66 games, however. San Diego is in the midst of a postseason race, currently sitting 3.5 games out of one of the three Wild Card spots.
The past few weeks have made that goal of reaching the postseason much harder after a brutal stretch at the beginning of the month, but perhaps the break for All-Star festivities came at the perfect time for the Padres, allowing them to rest and focus on the remaining half of the season.
While the coaches and players will be doing their best on the diamond, the front office has a huge couple of weeks ahead with the August 3 trade deadline looming. General manager A.J. Preller has been no stranger to big and aggressive deals, and that mindset will be needed yet again at this year’s deadline.
MLB.com has selected the need for starting pitching to be the most important to address at the trade deadline. It checks out, as the starting rotation for the Padres has been frantically stitched together this season as their top guys have been unable to play due to injuries.
Joe Musgrove has yet to make an appearance since 2024. Nick Pivetta has played since early April. Randy Vasquez was put on the injured list earlier this month after getting hit with a comebacker in the ankle and having a fainting spell.
To put it simply, the injury bug has haunted the Padres' rotation this season. Despite it all, the Padres find themselves within reach of a postseason spot as we enter the second half of the year, meaning they need to go all in at the deadline and address the rotation’s troubles.
The Padres’ farm system may not be as highly ranked as in years past due to Preller’s aggressiveness, but they still have some talent that could entice a seller at the deadline looking to cash in on a starter.
While Pivetta and Musgrove should be back sometime in August, there is no time to wait for the Padres if they want to return to the postseason in the fall. We have seen how a hodgepodge starting rotation has played out for the club, and a change is an absolute requirement if it wants to be taken seriously come fall.
Ideally, the offense wakes up in the second half and catches stride with an improved starting rotation, taking the Padres into a Wild Card spot. From there, anything can happen.
San Diego is not in an ideal spot by any means, but they have more than enough to make it work. A few moves at the deadline could be all it needs to shift it into higher gear.
