3 reasons Padres must sell at trade deadline

The San Diego Padres are collapsing at a hard rate. A team that was once over 10 games above .500 is on the verge of falling to below .500 this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Friars begin a four-game series in LA on Thursday, and things do not seem to be getting better any time soon.

The Padres are 43-42 and have lost five games in a row and six of their last 10. Somehow, this team swept the Atlanta Braves last week, but responded with miserable play. On Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, the Padres were swept by the Cubs, losing 23-3. That was the worst loss in franchise history.

A lot is going wrong right now. There could be many, many reasons as to why the Padres are not seeing the success that they seek. If it hadn’t been for some clutch hitting early in the season, the Padres’ record would be much worse right now.

The MLB Trade Deadline is at the end of July. The Padres are usually buyers with general manager A.J. Preller running the show, but this team does not look like it is going to compete in the postseason in 2026. The Friars may be better off selling off some talent for future and younger talent.

Let’s take a look at the three main reasons why the Padres MUST sell at the trade deadline.

Restock a thin farm system

The Padres have repeatedly traded top prospects over the past several seasons to acquire stars for win-now pushes. While those moves brought excitement, they also left the organization with less upper-level depth than many contenders.

The Padres have depth this season, but the problem is that the stars aren’t the ones contributing. Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr, Ty France, and Samad Taylor, nobody can get on base at a consistent rate. The offense is very bad, and not many teams have ever won a World Series with a bottom-five offense, and if they did, it meant that their pitching was dominant. San Diego has neither.

The Farm system is not loaded as it has been in the past. The Padres have been a good enough team over the years that it has not mattered what the farm looked like. Preller has found a way to make trades. However, looking back, it seems like those moves have not gotten this team over the hump. Getting back some elite prospect talent would be in the best interest of this ball club.

Maximize the value of expiring contracts

Ty France, Miguel Andujar, and Gavin Sheets should all be trade candidates. France and Andujar signed one-year deals with SD this offseason and have been one of the better hitters on the squad. Those two could very well be traded to a contender ahead of the deadline for some young prospects. The Frairs should definitely try to get something back for those two, who have been a big part of the 2026 squad.

Sheets has one more year left with the Frairs, but he has proven to be a clutch home run hitter the last two seasons. There will be contending teams interested in a player who can rake and play first base as well as left field.

Buying would dig a deeper hole

Preller never gives up. He has tried to build a World Series-winning team since he was hired. He has turned this ball club around from nothing to a playoff-contending team. He has made a lot of great moves, but he has also made some bad ones as well. 2026 is not the year to be making bad moves; it could seriously set this team back years.

Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackson Merrill are seriously struggling. Tatis Jr has figured things out and is the best hitter on the team by far. The issue is that nobody contributes at the same time. The season is more than halfway over, and there are no signs of anything changing. The pitching is a whole different story. The starting rotation is terrible, and the bullpen is being forced to stay perfect, and that can’t always happen. The Friars contain the best reliever in the sport, Mason Miller, but can’t hold a lead to get him in save opportunities. Don’t be shocked if rumors about trading Miller start to surface.

A lot has gone wrong for this squad. A team that is usually buyers MUST look in the mirror and realize that this isn’t the year. Restock for 2027 and hope that the team can find better success then. I am not saying they can’t make a run to the postseason, but they are not going to contend for the WS with the roster they have now.