MLB Insider Provides Massive Update on Padres' Trade Deadline Plans

The San Diego Padres have several holes on the roster that should be addressed at the trade deadline as the team prepares to make a deep playoff push.

The Padres have two main concerns: Starting pitching and left field production.

The Friars are missing two staple starters in ace Michael King and veteran Yu Darvish.

King was placed on the injured list with a pinched nerve in May, and hasn't made much progress toward a return.

Darvish began the season on the IL and his recovery has been slow. The Padres have been non-committal about when Darvish will return, and have largely left the timeline up to the soon-to-be 39-year-old.

That leaves immense pressure on Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta. While Pivetta has been a reliable offseason acquisition for the Padres, Cease hasn't lived up to standards until recently.

Cease is coming off a dazzling start where he threw seven scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but whether he remains that hot is still a mystery.

However, the Padres' left field woes have been increasingly apparent and it appears that is where the front office is hyper fixated on this summer.

MLB insider Jim Bowden reveals what he's heard from front office executives and other sources around the league regarding the Padres' summer plans.

"The Padres know they need another bat to lengthen their lineup and are focused on acquiring a left fielder. They might be willing to again dangle their best prospects to get it done as they try to take advantage of their roster’s window to win a World Series."

The Padres' top prospects are shortstop Leo De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas, who are two of the best prospects in MLB. It's unlikely the team would want to part with either of them, but according to Bowden, they could if the right upgrade presented itself ahead of the deadline.

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