The Clock Is Ticking On The Trade Deadline, And AJ Preller Needs To Work His Magic Again

[Michael Black]

It's that time of year for baseball fans everywhere to start salivating. That time would be trade deadline season, to be exact. As of this writing, about half of the league could be selling and or buying. Vague, yes, but it's a bit different this year. The activity has been slow at best, and we're less than a day and a half out from the deadline.

Or does that mean we'll have a very late but hectic end to this annual swapping of players? For some, like the San Diego Padres, we could see a little of both. At least that's what we've been led to believe, depending on which writer or outlet you keep up with.

Now we all have our thoughts and opinions on what we believe is the best direction for the team to go, but here are a few off-the-cuff proposals to make the Padres better down the stretch.

Addition by Subtraction
This is what could work best for the team in the short and long term.

First, trade Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez for prospects. That would free up approximately $22 million.

With that new capital, the prospects in our system currently, and $22 million in liquidity, Preller does what he does best. He goes shopping.

He acquires:
C - Sean Murphy $12.1 AAV
UTIL - Willi Castro $6.4 AAV
OF - Kyle Stowers $768 K AAV
P - Edward Cabrera $1.95 AAV
P - Anthony Bender $1.42 AAV

For a total of $22.71 million. 

In this scenario, the Padres fill several roster holes and get the years of control that they desperately need. All while deepening the lineup 1-9 and making the bench stronger.

Murphy solves our catching situation till top prospect Ethan Salas is ready to assume the catcher of the future title.

Castro fits the need for strengthening the bench as a switch-hitter who can play multiple positions and pinch-hit. At the same time, he becomes a free agent at season's end. 

Cabrera could step right in for the departing Cease. He is also under team control for multiple seasons.

A Stowers homecoming would be a perfect match for our LF solution. Imagine him, Jackson Merrill, and Tatis together for five to six years. Adding Bender to replace Suarez is icing on the cake.

We fill every hole and plug the holes we trade away with cheaper talent at a fraction of the cost.

Trading away two players and replacing them with five while adding less than a million to the budget would be a Preller special, something reminiscent of his halcyon days under Peter Seidler.

It would cost the team some deep prospect capital, however, just like last year's and the deadline of 2022, this is what's needed to take them from merely a contender to having legitimate World Series aspirations. Preller has hit on two recent deadlines in 2022 and 2024. He'll need to show that kind of creativity once again to catch the Dodgers down the stretch.

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As some idle musings, here are a couple of trade proposals to mull over as we await deadline news.

Deal one
Padres receive:
Sean Murphy, Catcher

Braves receive:
Luis Campusano, Catcher
Braden Nett, RHP
Boston Bateman, LHP

Deal two
Padres receive:
Kyle Stowers, Outfield

Marlins receive:
Henry Baez, RHP
Kash Mayfield, LHP
Kavares Tears, Outfield

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has some holes to fill and could have to pull a Houdini act to improve the team from playoff contender to World Series-worthy.

Needing to upgrade the offense with at least two additions, while trying to balance the budget for tax-related purposes, moving on from possible expiring contracts, and not having the perceived prospect capital to do so, should be one of the more intriguing deadlines in the Preller era.

We don't have much time to dwell on it, after all. It's July 30th, and the hourglass sands are flowing.

It's fast approaching. Tick tock, deadline season. Tick tock.

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