As the MLB trade deadline gets closer, teams are thinking about whether to buy or sell a month from now. With the deadline being 32 days away, the pressure on some teams to buy or sell is kicking up. For others, it may be an easy choice.
One team that could end up buying at the deadline is the San Diego Padres. The Padres enter today at 45-37 and just a half-game behind the Cardinals for the final wild card spot in a crowded race.
If the Padres do decide to go all-in between now and July 31, they could grab a player from a team that is more than likely going to sell.
In a Bleacher Report article on eight trades that could shake up the trade deadline, Kerry Miller listed the Padres as a trade partner with the Chicago White Sox wherein San Diego would receive White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi and cash considerations in exchange for Padres’ Single-A pitching prospect Clark Candiotti.
“To put it lightly, left field has been an adventure for the Padres, with nine players combining for a sub-.600 OPS. They released Jason Heyward on Wednesday, and he had been the team leader in plate appearances in left. Gavin Sheets has been fine as the primary offering there in recent weeks. However, when he’s in left, DH becomes an adventure for San Diego,” Miller wrote.
The overarching theme: San Diego needs a left fielder and the White Sox are a team that’s got one while also being likely to sell given Chicago is dead last in the AL and will miss the playoffs barring an unforeseen second half comeback.
