Padres Might 'Overpay' for Left Fielder From NL Bottom Feeder at Trade Deadline: Report

As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, the question of who Padres general manager A.J. Preller will acquire invites fewer possibilities than who he'll have to give up.

The Padres are in the market for a left fielder, according to several reports. Multiple outlets, including The Athletic and the Boston Herald, reported Preller kicked the tires on Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran.

However, Boston is unlikely to deal any of its outfielders anytime soon. Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida are recovering from injuries, and top prospect Roman Anthony has one hit in his first 12 at-bats. The Red Sox might not be ready to turn over an everyday lineup spot to the 21-year-old prospect, or bury him on their bench once Abreu and/or Yoshida return.

The standings suggest the number of left fielders who will actually be available in a trade are limited. As of Thursday, only five teams — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Athletics — are 10 or more games out of Wild Card position in their respective leagues. In a seller's market, that puts the Padres at a disadvantage.

Among the likely sellers, few have desirable players the Padres (or any team) is likely to make a play for in earnest.

Writing for The Athletic, former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals executive Jim Bowden suggests one familiar trade partner might coax the Padres to overpay.

"The Marlins will listen to inquiries on their corner outfielders this summer since teams like the Padres and Royals might overpay for Kyle Stowers or Jesús Sánchez," Bowden wroteThursday.

Preller connected with the Marlins last year in deals for Luis Arraez and Tanner Scott. One of the more reliable predictors of future trade partners is whether executives from the two teams have hooked up in the past.

Stowers, 27, is having a breakout season in Miami. His .272/.339/.465 might actually be underselling his advanced metrics; Stowers' hard-hit rate, bat speed, and barrel rate all rank in the 90th percentile or higher, per Statcast.

Like Stowers, Sanchez is 27 and bats left-handed. He's had more trouble squaring the ball up, and is slashing .259/.337/.394 with more speed (seven steals) than power (five home runs).

Regardless of who they acquire — and who they give up — the need for help in San Diego is evident. Padres left fielders have combined for a .541 OPS through Wednesday, 28th in MLB.

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