Padres News: Writer Lists 2 Friars as Top 5 Trade Candidates This Deadline

Could two of the Padres' best pitchers be on the trading block?

At this point, it isn't clear whether the 46-50 San Diego Padres will buy or sell at the deadline. With an expensive roster carefully constructed for the postseason, many assumed the Padres would be competing for the top spot in the NL West at this point in the 2023 season. Instead, they're just happy to be comfortably distanced from the bottom.

The Padres not only trail the NL West-leading Dodgers by 9.5 games, they also trail the Diamondbacks and Giants by 8 games. Their chances of winning the division are as good as the Angels' chances of seeing Shohei Ohtani don a Halos uniform next season (sorry, Angels fans).

If the Padres are to sell, two of their most likely trade pieces are starting pitcher Blake Snell and reliever Josh Hader, who are both set to become free agents in the offseason.

Snell has been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball this season. In his last eight starts, the 30-year-old lefty has a 0.57 ERA and has thrown over four times as many strikeouts as he has walked batters. For this reason, Snell would be highly sought after if the Padres decided to listen to trade requests.

Hader is one of the most reliable closers in baseball, holding a 1.00 ERA and 23 saves — including in Wednesday night's win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old is as calm and collected as they come, and has not allowed a run in his last 15 appearances. Similar to Snell, teams with a realistic shot at the playoffs would give a lot to rent Hader for the remainder of the 2023 season.

So, it is no surprise that the two star pitchers are listed in Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter's Top 25 MLB Trade Candidates. In fact, Reuter is so high on Hader and Snell that they rank fourth and second respectively in his list. Reuter does note that his list is assuming the Padres will sell, which is, at this point, speculation.

Each game has more weight than the previous as the sprint to the trade deadline has begun.