Padres Connected to Giants Star in Potential Blockbuster Trade Ahead of Deadline

As the MLB trade deadline draws closer, the San Diego Padres' front office has a lot of questions to answer.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller will need to decide how aggressive he wants to be, especially given the Padres' season starting to unravel. The team has multiple areas of need, putting even more pressure on Preller to hit the right buttons.

One player who has been connected to the Padres this summer is outfielder Jung Hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants. Lee could be on the trade block with the Giants' season coming undone, and he could perfectly fit what San Diego wants to do.

MLB insiders Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN linked Lee with the Padres in a recent article. The two insiders give Lee a 50% chance of being traded before the deadline ends.

Case for Padres to Trade for Jung Hoo Lee

With the Padres' need for another outfielder, Lee could be one of the better options for the team to consider. Of course, trading between division rivals can get a little tricky, but Preller could get creative to make it happen.

Lee is in the middle of a breakout season for the Giants, and San Francisco could net a haul if they choose to move him. Overall, the slugger has hit .311 with five home runs and 33 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .784.

Before Lee signed with the Giants ahead of the 2024 offseason, the Padres were heavily in on him during free agency. At that time, the Padres had Ha-Seong Kim on the roster, and the Padres felt as if Kim could help lure Lee to San Diego.

While things didn't work out the way the Padres wanted, this could be a chance to finally land his services. Lee is a strong contact hitter, and putting his bat into the Padres lineup could help get the offense going this season.

San Diego has lacked guys who consistently put the ball in play, leading to real offensive problems. But Lee is a quality hitter who occasionally has some pop in his bat as well.

Lee also has extreme versatility on defense, having played all three outfield spots in his career. This could give manager Craig Stammen extra flexibility when building out lineups as the season goes on.

The outfielder does have three more years on his current contract, with him scheduled to make $23.2 million in 2027 and then $20.5 million in 2028 and 2029. Lee does have a potential opt-out following the 2027 season, though.

If the Padres decide to become buyers at the deadline, going after Lee could be one of the better options to pursue. Not only would he help the offense for this season, but having him on the roster for the next few years could help ease the pain of sending out a large number of prospects.

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