Padres Should 'Strongly Consider' Trading Top Reliever to Yankees, Says Insider

As the San Diego Padres fight to stay alive in the National League wild-card race, all eyes are on what AJ Preller and the team's front office will do ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Sitting three games under .500, the Padres are four games out of contention for a spot in the playoffs. While their offensive production and starting pitching have both been sub-par for much of the season, the Padres have somehow found themselves in contention for a postseason run.

The next week-plus will be crucial for the team to determine whether or not it's worthy of the hefty investments that the trade deadline can require, or if it's time to abandon ship and deal out some of their most valuable assets.

Star closer Mason Miller is perhaps the biggest question mark for the Padres, as speculation is circling around the major leagues about whether he will depart San Diego prematurely. With 25 saves and a 0.86 ERA, Miller is among the top closers in baseball, and his potential availability would have contending teams extend many a phone call to Preller's office.

Parting ways with Miller, however, would be a brutal blow, as he remains under club control and is arbitration-eligible for three more years. Instead of getting a rental, teams would be acquiring a long-term closer who is in the middle of his prime.

MLB insider Paul Hembekides said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast that he thinks the Padres should hold onto their superstar closer, and instead consider trading away one or both or their other star relievers, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada.

"A roster as weak as this is, top to bottom, it's much too gluttonous a bullpen when you consider all the other holes that they have," Hembekides said. "So, if you're willing to put Adrian Morejon or Jeremiah Estrada into the trade market and potentially a team like the Yankees and try to match the value present day for present day, that to me would be the golden goose there."

Adrian Morejon or (a healthy) Jeremiah Estrada would make a considerable difference for the Yankees, should Brian Cashman be willing to part with Jasson Dominguez or Will Warren. https://t.co/L0BMJKuGKz pic.twitter.com/Nvu30dR2Ht
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) July 17, 2026

Morejon holds a 3.33 ERA and a 7-2 record, while Estrada, who is working his way back from right knee inflammation, has a 3.48 ERA. Both players represent perhaps the only true area of strength on the 2026 Padres.

Hembekides noted that there were likely more buyers than sellers this year, meaning that two teams hoping to improve their 2026 rosters are more likely to have conversations regarding upgrading their current lineup.

"We're going to see more buyer-for-buyer trades than we have in years' past," Hembekides said. "And I think the Yankees and the Padres could match up here in a way that the Yankees could acquire a reliever, one of those two guys potentially, and in return maybe they float a Will Warren, maybe they float Jasson Dominguez in a way in which both of these teams can achieve their goals by basically flipping strengths."

Warren would serve as an upgrade to the Padres' starting rotation, with a 4.00 ERA through 20 appearances (19 starts). Dominguez could provide upside as a promising young outfielder.

Either way, with the Yankees sending scouts to Padres games and buzz across the baseball world, it appears that these two teams are talking. Who their discussions are about and what will come on Aug. 3 remains the question.

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