How can the San Diego Padres get over the hump?
A postseason team three of the last five seasons, the Padres have one of the more talented rosters in baseball, but have not broken through for that marquee World Series or even pennant-winning campaign.
This current iteration is another solid team, sitting at 39-31 and just three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West lead. San Diego should find itself in a comfortable position at this year’s trade deadline and could look to bolster its roster in a win-now move.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed the Padres’ catching prospect, Ethan Salas, as a potential target for the Tampa Bay Rays. Should San Diego look to mortgage its future for 2025, here is what a deal could look like:
Padres receive: OF Josh Lowe, SP Ryan Pepiot
Rays receive: C Ethan Salas (No. 2), RHP Braden Nett (No. 9)
Salas is a consensus top-30 prospect in all of baseball and represents San Diego’s future at the position. However, despite a promotion to Double-A this year, Salas is batting just .188 with a .544 OPS and zero home runs through 10 games. That is a small sample size, but he is also a career .221 batter in the minors.
Nett will probably end up as a reliever in the Majors and has interesting stuff, but is worthy of the sacrifice for two impact players in Lowe and Pepiot.
Injuries have hampered Lowe’s potential; however, he is still a career .259 batter with a .744 OPS, a 109 OPS+, and had a 20-home run, 32-steal performance over 135 games in 2023. He’s a very good outfield defender and, should he stay healthy, would be a significant upgrade over Jason Heyward in left.
Pepiot has a 3.31 ERA, a 4.27 FIP, and the electrifying arsenal to give the Padres another legitimate starting pitcher.
This may be too risky for San Diego to pull the trigger, but the Rays are never afraid to sacrifice MLB talent for prospects and would have a difficult time refusing two top-10 prospects.