Wednesday, July 22

Welcome back to the Padres Beat newsletter. MLB.com's Benjamin Rosenberg filled in for this edition.

If the Padres are going to be buyers as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches — and president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller certainly wants them to be — they’re running out of time to make a compelling case that this is a playoff-worthy roster.

San Diego had an ideal chance to climb closer to the postseason picture coming out of the All-Star break against a Royals team that holds the third-worst record in MLB. But the Padres lost in heartbreaking fashion Friday night after squandering a three-run lead in the 10th inning, then were held to one run in another loss Saturday before avoiding the sweep in Kansas City with a 19-2 rout Sunday.

The most encouraging takeaway from the series finale? The Padres’ hitting stars performed like stars. Jackson Merrill homered twice in a four-hit outing and Fernando Tatis Jr. went deep and drove in four runs. Manny Machado, despite a hitless game that kept his batting average below .200, was still productive with two walks, a run scored and a sacrifice fly.

And Ty France, while not expected to carry as much weight as the above trio, was 5-for-12 with three home runs in the series, including a game-tying blast in the ninth Friday night and a grand slam as part of Sunday’s team-wide offensive outburst.

But if those three — all former All-Stars, as are France, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth — can hit the way the Padres know they can, San Diego can allocate its resources at the Deadline toward acquiring pitching.

Internal reinforcements are also on the way. Nick Pivetta, last year’s ace who has been sidelined since mid-April with a right flexor strain, is expected back in August. Joe Musgrove last pitched in the big leagues in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he could also return in August or September. And the bullpen, headlined by star closer Mason Miller, remains one of MLB’s busiest and best.

Preller, however, should never be discounted when it comes to swinging a blockbuster deal. He has made perhaps the biggest move of the Deadline twice in recent years, acquiring Miller in exchange for top prospect Leo De Vries last summer and shipping a package of prospects to Washington for Juan Soto in 2022.

This isn’t to say a Tarik Skubal trade is necessarily being discussed, but if Freddy Peralta (Mets), Joe Ryan (Twins) or Logan Webb (Giants) are being shopped around, it would certainly not be a shock if Preller is in the mix.

The Padres have managed to weather a boatload of injuries and their lineup-wide underperformance, and despite a 30-41 record since April 29, San Diego (49-50) is just 2.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot.

More concerning is the number of teams they will have to surpass — the Cardinals, Marlins and Pirates are all tied for the third Wild Card, while the D-backs and Nationals are also in front of San Diego. The Padres start a four-game series at the NL East-leading Braves on Monday night, then play three huge games in Miami starting Friday before returning home to face the Rockies and Giants prior to the Deadline.

FanGraphs currently gives the Padres a 9.4% chance to make the playoffs, but a strong finish to a road trip that is off to a rocky start, then a homestand against two of the three worst teams in the NL, could better those odds. And recent history shows that if Preller believes his team is alive, he will not be shy about adding to his roster, even if the cost in prospect capital is high.

MLB recently announced its ‘27 regular-season schedule. Let’s look at some of the highlights from San Diego’s slate:

Opening Day: The Padres will host the D-backs on March 25 at Petco Park to begin the ‘27 season. It will kick off a four-game series and a seven-game homestand, with the Rockies visiting San Diego from March 29-31.

Dodgers: The Padres host their rivals to the north for a weekend set April 9-11, then play four at home against the Dodgers from July 26-29. San Diego visits Dodger Stadium for a weekend series from May 21-23 before a potentially massive series in Los Angeles from Sept. 10-12.

Scheduled doubleheaders: San Diego has two doubleheaders on its schedule, with the first coming at home against the Cubs on Tuesday, June 22. The Padres then have two consecutive off-days following that twin-bill before opening a series in Toronto on June 25. Just before the All-Star break, San Diego has another doubleheader scheduled at Coors Field on Saturday, July 10, as part of a four-game series against the Rockies.

Other highlights: The Padres host the Red Sox on Memorial Day weekend from May 28-30, and head to the Bronx to face the Yankees from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. They play seven games against the Cardinals in an 11-day span from April 5-15, including a four-game series at Petco Park. San Diego will face the Athletics in Las Vegas from May 31-June 2 as the A’s prepare to move to Sin City from their current home in West Sacramento.

• Freddy Fermin, who spent parts of four seasons with the Royals, received a nice hand as he returned to Kansas City with the Padres. Read more >>
• Tatis and Merrill drove in four runs apiece as the Padres routed the Royals on Sunday. Read more >>
• Machado was heating up heading into the All-Star break. Here are the keys behind his recent surge. Read more >>

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