With a Major League Baseball-best 14-3 record, there isn’t much that has gone wrong for the San Diego Padres through the first two and a half weeks of the season.
The starting rotation currently boasts three starting pitchers with an ERA below 2.50, including Cy-Young contender Michael King and new acquisition Nick Pivetta. Closer Robert Suarez hasn’t allowed a run while converting all seven of his save opportunities, while relievers Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Mojeron, Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta each have played a key role in baseball’s best bullpen. On offense, Fernando Tatis Jr. looks to have re-captured his MVP-level form with an MLB-best six home runs, and Jackson Merrill (206 OPS+) and Manny Machado (148 OPS+) have each lived up to their superstar billing.
Given their utter dominance thus far, the Padres should have all the confidence in the world that they can compete with the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, but one position that could be their Achilles heel is left field. The club signed 35-year-old Jason Heyward to replace departed All-Star Jurickson Profar, and he has looked well past his prime with a .205 batting average and just two extra-base hits.
With the rest of the roster set up for a championship run, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough believes that general manager A.J Preller can focus his trade deadline attention on upgrading his weakest position.
“Thus far, Heyward has performed at rates closer to his final days in Chicago than his 2023 renaissance with the Dodgers,” wrote McCullough. “If anything, this creates an opportunity for general manager A.J. Preller, who excels at acquiring talent around the trade deadline. If Heyward cannot recapture his old form, the Padres could find another left-handed hitter and reshuffle the defensive configuration.”
As aggressive a trader there is in the game, Preller has not been shy about making bold moves at the expense of his farm system, especially when he feels his team is close to World Series contention. Though they could use another left-handed hitter, look for the Padres to be squarely in the mix for Chicago White Sox superstar outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
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