Saturday, December 06

SAN DIEGO -- There's the start of the season. There's the end of the season. And in between -- at least from my perspective -- there's trade season.

It's June. It's officially trade season.

Which isn't to say there are moves coming imminently. It's just to say that we now have a pretty solid idea of who these Padres are -- and what they need ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline. It's time to start evaluating the market as it relates to those needs.

Here's a ranking of what I see as the Padres' five biggest Trade Deadline needs, separated into three tiers:

MUST HAVE

1. A left fielder

The Padres' offensive production in left field has increased since they began playing Gavin Sheets there. But, as you may have guessed, that means their first-base/DH production has suffered.

Sheets is not a natural left fielder. He was merely the best option on a team that ranks 29th out of 30 in offensive production at the position (per wRC+, an all-encompassing hitting metric). Then, Sheets exited Sunday's series finale against the Pirates after crashing hard into the left-field wall. 

Sheets' status remains unclear, but whatever the outcome, the Padres should aim to keep him at DH or first base. Their top priority should be adding another bat to a lineup that features a handful of superstars -- but also a couple of glaring holes. There's no better place to do it than left field, a traditionally bat-first position, where it shouldn't be all that difficult to find a decent No. 8 hitter.

COULD SERIOUSLY USE

2. Another starter

There's still not much clarity on when Michael King and Yu Darvish will rejoin the Padres' rotation. Naturally, the urgency to add a starter depends on those two. (If both are healthy, this probably moves down a tier. If both are question marks, this moves up a tier and probably tops the list.)

Without King and Darvish, the San Diego rotation is clearly thin. Kyle Hart has largely struggled. Matt Waldron is on his way back from a left oblique strain, but it's unclear what he'll offer.

The Padres don't need to be shopping for a front-line ace (and probably don't have the trade chips for that anyway). But they could absolutely use someone to chew up innings at the back of their rotation.

3. A bench bat

The Padres want offense? Why stop at just a left fielder? Their bench is thin on bat-first options, and if they were to add a left fielder, that would presumably relegate Jason Heyward to that bench (when he returns from a left oblique strain). But Heyward is hitting just .176 with a .494 OPS.

Before the Deadline, maybe Luis Campusano gets a chance to prove himself. If he could find a niche as a starter against lefties and a pinch-hitter otherwise, this need isn't quite so pressing.

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT...

4. A lefty reliever

It stands to reason that ... if the Padres had Adrian Morejon, Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta in their bullpen last year ... and they decided they needed to add a lefty at the Deadline then ... well, they might be inclined to do the same this season.

Morejon's transition to higher leverage has mostly gone smoothly. So the Padres probably don't need to add an arm the caliber of Tanner Scott. But they could certainly use another southpaw as an option in their 'pen.

5. A backup catcher

When I mentioned the holes in the Padres' lineup, I was referring to two spots: left field and catcher. There's a reason left field checks in so high on this list and catcher so low.

The Padres rank 25th in offensive production at catcher (per wRC+). Clearly, they could use more than what they've gotten out of Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado offensively.

But that duo has been solid in aiding the Padres' run-prevention efforts. Plus, it's immensely difficult to incorporate a new catcher in-season, when he must learn a pitching staff on the fly. Given the nature of the position, I suspect that if the Padres can boost their offense elsewhere, they'll be comfortable leaving the ninth spot in the lineup to their current catching duo. Still, that doesn't mean San Diego won't at least browse the catching market.

Who holds the Padres' franchise record for most career home runs against the Giants?

A. Nate Colbert

B. Adrián González

C. Wil Myers

D. Dave Winfield

• A grueling June awaits, and the Padres could hardly afford to start the month by losing a series to the last-place Pirates. They rallied on Sunday to ensure that would not happen.

• Darvish's return to the rotation has taken longer than he or the Padres would've hoped. But it hasn't stalled. Here's the latest on Darvish, who could take a step forward this week in San Francisco.

• The timeline for King's return remains murky, but the Padres at least have a prognosis for his shoulder injury, and they say it’s positive.

• Here's the latest on Sheets, who is being evaluated for multiple ailments after his hard crash into the left-field wall.

• The Padres bolstered their bullpen by promoting one of their most exciting pitching prospects before Friday's series opener.

PADRES.TV is back for the 2025 season, allowing fans to stream regular-season games in the San Diego area without blackouts. That offer -- available now for $89.99 or $19.99 per month -- is only for fans in the Padres’ home TV territory and a separate service from the MLB.TV out-of-market package.

C. Myers

Myers went deep 22 times against the Giants from 2015-22, one more than Colbert's 21.

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