What Is Padres' Place In National League Playoff Picture One Week Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline?

[Gottie Chavez]

As the trade deadline looms, the San Diego Padres find themselves looking at a long road to get back into the playoff picture. At 53-53, they sit 14 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and two games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Entering the season as one of the favorites to challenge the Dodgers for the NL West title, an underperforming offense and injuries to key starters have held the team back. However, four of their next five series come against National League opponents, including a four-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who currently sit ahead of them in the NL West standings. That stretch offers the Padres an opportunity to make up ground before the deadline.

The Friars' offense has been frustrating all season. They own the third-worst batting average in the league at .230 and a bottom-10 wRC+ of 91, contributing heavily to the team’s -23 run differential and position out of the playoff picture. While Fernando Tatis Jr. has begun to rediscover his form, San Diego’s other big-name bats have struggled to produce. Among players with at least 50 games played, Ty France leads the team with a .286 batting average, with established stars like Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill batting below .240. If the Padres hope to get back into the playoff conversation, they need more consistency from their offense.

Still, July has offered some optimism for the team. The Padres are coming out of a series in which they swept the Miami Marlins, who entered the series two games ahead of them in the NL standings, and put together their best offensive stretch of the season. In July, the team has batted .257/.342/.431 with a .773 OPS, all ranking in the top-10 of the league with a 4.8 team WAR, the second highest during this time. Additionally, this improvement has been backed by underlying metrics. While the sample size is small, their 37.8% hard-hit rate ranks eighth in the league, an improvement on the 34.1 season-long percentage, suggesting this breakout might be more than an outlier. While the team is still missing contributors like Miguel Andújar and Samad Taylor, the offense is finally starting to ease the load off the pitching staff.

While the rotation hasn’t underperformed as much as the offense, the team has yet to replicate the production lost from losing ace Dylan Cease in free agency. Currently, no Padres starter owns a winning record, with Michael King leading the team with a 6-7 record and 3.24 ERA over 119.1 innings. As a staff, their team ranks near the bottom of the league with a 4.1 WAR, 4.65 FIP and a 4.68 ERA. While the starters shouldn’t be criticized the way the offense is, their ineffectiveness has made it hard for the team to take advantage of their one solid unit, the bullpen. San Diego’s relief pitchers have been the lone bright spot of the season. As a group, their relievers have a 3.75 ERA, the sixth-lowest in the league, and are anchored by All-Star closer Mason Miller, who has the third-most saves in the league and a 0.84 ERA.

If the offense can sustain its recent improvements, a complementary offense may be all the Padres need to capitalize on a dependable bullpen and quality outings from their rotation. This possibility makes the next two weeks especially important. While trade speculation has surrounded players like Miller and King, the team can put those conversations to a close with a late run up the NL standings.

View full article