Padres News: Columnist Believes SD Should Trade for New DH to Remain Competitive in NL West
The San Diego Padres find themselves at a good spot compared to where they were a couple of weeks ago. As of June 19, they are only one game back from .500, and the way they're playing right now, don't be surprised if they are a couple of games over .500 by the end of the week.
Things seem to be clicking for the Friars; the star players are producing, the starting pitching is lights out, and the emergence of Gary Sanchez is a great surprise. However, if it's not one thing with this team, it's another, which comes in the form of the DH spot.
Nelson Cruz and Austin Nola have been the primary DHs all season long, but they haven't been productive with their bats. It's a hit or miss in that position (most of the time resulting in a miss), and that could be a position the front office targets come next month's trade deadline.
MLB columnist Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes San Diego should look out for a DH player come the trade deadline.
If they can get a quality hitter, they could certainly use one at DH, where each half of the Nelson Cruz/Matt Carpenter platoon has a sub-.700 OPS. At least they now have Gary Sánchez hitting well at catcher, but getting so little out of the DH slot while both center fielder Trent Grisham and catcher Austin Nola were providing next to nothing at the plate was brutal.
A healthy and consistent DH could be the position that puts this ridiculously talented team over the top. Between Cruz and Nola, they have an OPS of .582, and Cruz missed a handful of games with an injury at 42 years old. In Nola's case, offense is not his strong suit, and he's been a liability in the lineup.
One example that comes into mind is Miami Marlins OF/DH Jorge Soler. The Marlins are in the thick of things right now, being 10 games above .500 and five games out of the NL East. That may not be realistic in terms of where they stand, but he would bring some more power and talent to the roster.
A trade may be a must for the Friars when the time comes. We'll see how aggressive the front office is for that position or others.
