The San Diego Padres have been staying in the National League Wild Card race while eyeing a possible shot at passing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West.
San Diego will look to snap a three-game losing streak on Friday as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals, but as the MLB trade deadline creeps up at the end of the month, the Padres could be moving multiple pitchers.
It’s been well known that the Padres have been shopping Dylan Cease and $13.75 million he’s owed this season. Cease has struggled in 2025, posting a 3-10 record, 4.59 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller has shown all the signs that his intent this trade deadline is to be aggressive. The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal described Preller as someone who “always acts with urgency,” and “pitching turnover is not something Preller frets over. It’s actually part of his plan.”
Although it’s not certain that the former AL Cy Young runner-up will be moved, the Padres have drawn attention from teams trying to acquire multiple other pitching prospects on their team.
According to Ken Rosenthal, teams around the league have called, asking about right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek.
Bergert, a 25-year-old rookie, has appeared in 10 games for the Padres this season, starting in six of them. His production has been well-noted, posting a 2.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, and he has struck out 30 batters in 31.2 innings pitched.
Kolek, a 28-year-old second-year player, has started in 13 games for the Padres this season and has a 3-5 record, 4.28 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and has struck out 54 batters in 73.2 innings.
