Padres Trying to Make Another Blockbuster Trade: Report

J.P. Hoornstra | Jun 11, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (center) meets with teammates at the mound during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports / Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, they might not be done.

With seven weeks left until the major league trade deadline, Padres general manager is acting with his typically unusual urgency. This year's top target? "A difference-making starter such as Jesús Luzardo or Garrett Crochet."

Bowden lists Luzardo and Crochet as two of the best pitchers he expects to be traded before the July 30 deadline, along with the Angels' Tyler Anderson, the Mets' Luis Severino, the Tigers' Jack Flaherty and the Nationals' Trevor Williams.

Padres starting pitchers have combined to go 22-25 with a 4.03 ERA that ranks 14th in MLB. Considering the inconsistent health of veterans Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, who were expected to lead the staff, those numbers are in line with expectations.

Musgrove, 31, went 3-4 with a 5.66 ERA before succumbing to a bone spur in his elbow, an injury that's expected to cost him a significant amount of time. Luzardo and Crochet would each offer an immediate boost.

Luzardo, 26, is 2-5 with a 5.30 ERA in 10 starts this season for the Miami Marlins. His average fastball velocity has fallen from 96.7 mph in 2023 to 95.3 this season, which begins to explain the alarming drop to his peripheral stats. Last year Luzardo went 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA across 178.2 innings for the Marlins.

Crochet, 24, has successfully transitioned from reliever to rotation mainstay in 2024. In 14 starts for the woebegone White Sox, he's 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA and an American League-leading 103 strikeouts.

The Padres are also trying to fine-tune their bench and add a right-handed reliever, Bowden notes. Any trade to acquire major-league talent will come at the cost of one or more minor league prospects, and the Padres have already dealt away several in the trades to acquire Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez.

Preller's heaviest roster lifting might already be done, but it sounds like he won't go down without a fight.