3 Realistic Padres Trade Targets at the All-Star Break

The MLB trade deadline is less than three weeks away on Aug. 3, with teams all over the league gearing up for some expected chaos to occur.

The San Diego Padres are one of the more interesting teams across baseball, with nobody truly knowing what direction they will go. San Diego currently holds a record of 48-48 at the All-Star break, and they could really go either way.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller is never one to back down from a challenge, and all he needs is his players to prove to him why he should go all-in. The Padres have the next few weeks to show him that this group is worth investing in, and if they can, Preller will do the rest.

San Diego has been linked to a few big names this summer, with the team needing both more offense and starting pitching help. The Padres have also been rumored to want to add to the bullpen, giving Preller plenty of options to work with.

But given that the Padres have a limited number of assets to trade, it could make life tough for Preller.

Here are three realistic targets that the Padres could go after this trade deadline:

Freddy Peralta, RHP, New York Mets

Peralta, 30, has been one of the more common pitchers connected to the Padres this year. San Diego showed real interest in acquiring the right-hander last winter before he was traded to the Mets.

While his season in New York hasn't worked out thus far, Peralta is the perfect bounce-back candidate as he needs a change of scenery. So far, Peralta has made 20 starts for the Mets, posting an ERA of 4.66 over 104.1 innings.

If anything, Peralta could help the Padres eat innings the rest of the way, giving more depth to the starting rotation. At best, he turns back into the All-Star from a year ago, and with him being a free agent at the end of the season, the cost to land him should be far less than other starters on the market.

Luis Arráez, 2B, San Francisco Giants

Arráez, the former Padres infielder, has been one name linked with San Diego all season. It was reported that Arráez never wanted to leave the Padres after last year, but the two sides couldn't agree to a deal.

If the Padres could bring back Arráez, it would help give the offense a nice boost. With the Giants, Arráez has bounced back to being a consistent hitter, and he is expected to be one of the more sought after names on the trade market.

Overall, Arráez has hit .330 with four home runs, 35 RBIs and 119 hits, while posting an OPS of .829. His defense has been incredible with the Giants, too, and he could be one of the players who could help spark a postseason run for the Padres.

Antonio Senzatela, RHP, Colorado Rockies

Senzatela, 31, has transitioned from being a starting pitcher to a reliever this year, and it's worked out great for him. The right-hander struggled heavily as a starter over his career, but he's had a breakout year coming out of the bullpen.

The veteran currently owns an ERA of 3.31 over 30 appearances, with him registering three saves in the process. Senzatela has a club option for $14 million in 2027.

If the Padres want to add more depth to the bullpen to keep guys fresh, getting someone like Senzatela could make sense. He's able to pitch multiple innings at a time, and could likely get stretched out even more as he's at just 49 innings this season.

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