Padres' AJ Preller Reveals Trade Deadline Plans

Mar 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller, right, talks with manager Mike Shildt before an Opening Day baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres presiedent of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller revealed the Padres are looking to add more offensive tools to their lineup as they head into the 2025 trade deadline.

"On the offense side it's probably rounding out the depth of the lineup," Preller said of the Padres' deadline plans. "The top of the lineup should be strong. You look up and you've got Jake Cronenworth hitting seventh and eighth some nights, but you've got to be deep, one through nine. I think probably adding a bat or two is something that we're going to look at here in the next few weeks to try to help our team get to October."

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The positions the Padres are most likely to look to upgrade on in terms of offense are left field and catcher.

The Padres began the season with a platoon of Connor Joe and Jason Heyward at the beginning of the season to make up for the loss of All-Star Jurickson Profar in the offseason, however neither of the two produced at the level the Padres expected and have both been cut by the team.

Gavin Sheets has served as the temporary replacement in left, however the DH spot becomes the issue when he plays the field.

As for catchers, both Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado have been solid defensive options but have failed to make an impact with a bat. Padres catchers this season have struck out nearly 30% of the time and are batting .201 with a 68 wRC+ as a collective. They have the fifth highest strikeout rate in the league among catchers, fourth lowest wRC+ and have driven in the least runs (18).

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The Padres need to upgrade as soon as possible, as their once comfortable lead atop the NL Wild Card has slipped between their fingers, placing them in a dogfight for the final spot as they head into the All-Star break.

The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are even with them in the standings, though the Padres have the edge due to their slightly better win percentage.

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