Padres News: AJ Preller Feels Friars Have Shown Enough to Be Buyers at Deadline

Don't let the record fool you. The Padres are all the way in.

Entering spring training, the Padres were listed among the obvious favorites to win it all in 2023. The club was coming off a deep run in the postseason last year and added some big time upgrades in the winter.

But as the season has limped along, something has been off. Something has been missing from the Friars. That is until recently.

Since the calendar flipped to July, the team has come alive winning 6 of 8 games which has the front office feeling better about their strategy for the upcoming trade deadline.

“I think [the stretch of better play] gives everybody a lot of ammunition going into the second half of the season,” Padres GM AJ Preller said this week. “We understand that it’s going to be a heck of a pennant race; there’s a lot of really talented teams and quality teams. And I think what we saw in the last week from an offensive standpoint and pitching standpoint, we’re gonna need really consistent performances like that throughout the second half if we’re gonna get to October.”

Manny Machado, the unofficial captain of the clubhouse, is all the way back, hitting .406 with an OPS nearing 1.500 since July 1st. After rough starts, Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell have been pitching like aces once again.

• Related: Padres Ace Doesn't See Team as Sellers at the Deadline

As the season moves along, the club only figures to get healthier as well. Lockdown reliever Robert Suarez is on the mend. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is feeling hopeful that a cortisone shot helps his ailing left wrist.

The Padres are still 5 games under .500 but only 6 games out of a Wild Card spot and 8.5 games behind the first place LA Dodgers in the NL West. With some help, this is a club ready to make a push through the dog days of summer and set up for another deep playoff run in October.

Last year Preller loaded up by bringing in slugger Juan Soto and All-Star closer Josh Hader. This year, Preller feels the farm system is still flush with enough talent to make another big splash.

“I think going into (2022), there was a lot of talk about where our system was,” Preller said. “And obviously when we got to the (trade) deadline, we had the ability to trade for any player in baseball and make a deal like a Juan Soto. And to look up a year later, and every night it feels like there’s something exciting happening on the farm, top to bottom.”

The trade deadline lands on Tuesday, Aug. 1 this year and is shaping up to be another electric day for Padres fans.