Padres' Three Biggest Positional Needs Ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline

Hovering around .500, the San Diego Padres remain firmly in the National League wild-card race, but several holes throughout the roster have prevented them from living up to their preseason expectations. 

While San Diego is still waiting for breakouts from their stars that would immediately fix their offensive struggles, the team needs to enter the trade deadline with plans to better round out their roster. With injuries plaguing them all season, the deadline can be used to strengthen the team's depth as they look to force a second-half turnaround.

Ranking Padres' Biggest Trade Deadline Needs

#3: Middle-Infield Offense

The Padres' middle infield has been a revolving door this season, with multiple players rotating between shortstop and second base while providing little offensive production all season. Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr., all the other options are currently batting below .240 and have played a major factor in the team having a league-low .226 batting average.

With the Padres posting negative offensive WAR totals at both shortstop (-0.1) and second base (-0.9), the middle infield has become one of the team's biggest weaknesses. If the team wants to make a significant upgrade at the deadline, these might be the positions to target. Given the organization's surplus of right-handed starting pitching, the Padres could package multiple arms in pursuit of an impact bat such as Jeremy Peña or CJ Abrams.

#2: Outfield Depth

Samad Taylor being placed on the injured list is a real detriment to the Padres' offense. An unexpected contributor, Taylor's promotion to the MLB roster brought a spark to the offense as he hit .330/.410/398 and stole six bases in only 26 games. His patient approach at the plate, along with his ability to draw attention while on base, took much-needed pressure off his teammates. Since his injury, the team has attempted to replace his production with rookie Jase Bowen, but the lack of offense has been noticeable. 

As a team, the Padres have a .302 OBP and 386 runs scored, both ranking last in the league. Thus, they need to prioritize acquiring hitters that can consistently put more pressure on opposing pitchers. One name that has been linked is Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki due to his team's need for starting pitching. While the big-name is enticing, San Diego might benefit from contacting another pitcher-needy team like the St. Louis Cardinals and inquiring about José Fermín, who has a career .313 OBP and represents a cost-effective option that could build their outfield depth.

#1: Left-Handed Starter

While the Padres' offense has received most of the criticism this season, holes in their starting rotation must be addressed to spark some more life into the roster.

As a team, their starters have a 4.79 ERA, the fourth-worst in the league, and this could be due to their lack of left-handed options. As it stands, JP Sears is the only starting lefty in their starting rotation, with San Diego deploying an all-right-handed rotation prior to his promotion. This lack of left-handed depth has hurt the Padres in limited opportunities; left-handed Padres starters have posted a 10.57 ERA against left-handed hitters, the third-worst mark in the league, despite logging just 7.2 innings, the fifth-fewest in the league.

In order to better compete in the back half of the season, the team may benefit from better balancing its rotation. While high-profile names like Tarik Skubal have been linked, their current record and position in the National League may suggest that San Diego could benefit from someone who would cost less than an arm and a leg, such as Robbie Ray or Trevor Rogers.