Padres Tried, Failed to Address One Key Issue at Trade Deadline

The MLB trade deadline has passed, with the San Diego Padres coming out as a better baseball team after the fact.

San Diego landed multiple pitchers to help bolster the depth of the team, including two starters and one reliever. Right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Robbie Ray were the big headliners for the Padres, giving the San Diego starting rotation a massive boost for the stretch run.

But the Padres didn't address all the needs that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller set out to do. San Diego aggressively tried to land a left-handed hitting outfielder, but to no avail.

“There were a lot of different combinations we looked at,” Preller said to a conference call to repoerters after the deadline. “We’ve talked about improving the offense with a left-handed bat and improving the rotation. We looked at ideas that would have helped us on the offensive end and on the pitching side, but ultimately they didn’t line up with what we felt was good for the Padres now or in the future.”

Since the Padres couldn't address the hitting, they will have to continue relying on those already in the clubhouse. This means Gavin Sheets, Luis Rengifo, Jase Bowen and others, all of whom the Padres wanted to upgrade from.

The Padres' offense has been an issue for most of the season, and the team was expected to upgrade at the deadline. While it didn't work out, San Diego seems to feel good about the direction that the team is heading.

Adding two quality starting pitchers should make a big difference to this team, especially with the playoffs just within their grasp. The Padres have used a recent hot stretch to get back into the wild-card race in the National League heading into the last two months of the regular season.

“Ultimately, it didn’t line up for the left-handed bat, but we do like our options,” Preller said. “We’ve been one of the better offenses in the league over the last month. I think it’s continuing what we’re seeing. I think that’s going to be a big key. You’ve got to get your pitching right. If your pitching is right, it usually gives you a chance, and that’s ultimately where we ended up.”

The Padres have seen multiple injuries take place in the starting rotation this year, being without right-handers Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta for most of the season. Each pitcher is expected to return over the next few weeks, giving manager Craig Stammen plenty of options to work with.

Padres Starting Rotation After Trade Deadline

After the trades, here are the Padres' potential rotation options:

RHP Michael King
RHP Casey Mize
LHP Robbie Ray
RHP Walker Buehler
RHP Nick Pivetta (returning from injury)
RHP Joe Musgrove (returning from injury)
RHP Lucas Giolito (returning from injury)
RHP Randy Vásquez
RHP Germán Márquez
RHP Griffin Canning
LHP JP Sears

The starting rotation has been a weakness for the Padres this year, but now it could be a strength of the roster for the stretch run.

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