Padres 'Kicking the Tires on Every Star Player' Ahead of Trade Deadline: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 12, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller has a little less than three weeks to make any trade deadline deals. If there is a deal to make, the club won't wait until the last minute.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote about what he has heard regarding all 30 teams, and had this to say about the Padres:

"The Padres didn’t wait until the trade deadline to make moves. They’ve done the best job in baseball of improving their club since spring training, starting with the acquisition of their best pitcher, Dylan Cease, in a trade with the White Sox just before Opening Day, and then landing their best hitter (in terms of contact and average), Luis Arraez, in a deal with the Marlins in May. They’re not done, of course, as president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has been trying to add a right-handed reliever and a bench bat. Preller is also doing what he always does, by which I mean he’s kicking the tires on every star player who could be traded this July, including Garrett Crochet, the most sought-after starter on the trade market."

Padres & White Sox line up very well on a potential Garrett Crochet trade. With Crochet's salary $800K, that's perfect for the Padres. Dodgers don't really have the pieces to get a deal done. White Sox floating their interest will only pressure AJ Preller to up an offer.

— MLBExecutiveBurner (@HotStoveintel) July 1, 2024

The Padres are hunting for a pitcher, but will add whoever they believe will help them make a postseason run. Preller has been reportedly in talks with the White Sox about Crochet since he made the deal for Cease.

Entering Friday's games, the Padres trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by 7 games in the NL West, and have a loose grip on one of the three Wild Card spots.