Padres Expected to 'Go For It' at Trade Deadline

The Dodgers and Padres are left needing to respond, and a couple of baseball insiders are predicting San Diego will do just that.

Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller is going to be wheeling and dealing at the deadline.

In an article previewing the deadline, the reporters wrote that "the entire industry knows his intentions. And they almost certainly do not include the word 'sell.'"

"The Padres, in addition to a starter, also could use a left fielder, a bench bat and possibly another reliever for their overworked bullpen," the article read. "Preller’s creativity, meanwhile, will face a new test. Perhaps he could deal from the deepest part of his roster and trade closer Robert Suarez, but such a move would further tax the bullpen.

"Any discussions also would be muddied by Suarez’s contract, which includes $8 million player options for 2026 and ‘27 that he must exercise or decline simultaneously after the World Series. Oh, and another thing: Since May 11, Suarez has a 7.45 ERA. The potential losses of Suarez, Cease and King in free agency raise concerns for the Padres beyond 2025. But Preller, as always, will concern himself with the future later.

"Barring collapses, both (Preller) and Hazen will go for it. The question is how."

Entering Tuesday, the Padres sit 5.5 games back of the NL West lead and a half game back of the last Wild Card spot.

At 42-36, San Diego remains in the hunt for October. The team is battling several injuries at the moment to starting pitchers Michael King and Yu Darvish.

Also, the Padres are getting little to nothing from the left-field position in the batting order — leading to inconsistent offensive momentum.

Given the roster's struggles, the Padres' current position is impressive and rightfully gives Preller confidence in the team.

He won't have many assets to play with, but Preller will find a way to get deals done, as he always does.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.