The Padres enter the trade deadline in a familiar spot: close enough to chase, uncertain enough to hesitate. At 48-48 at the All-Star break, San Diego sits in that awkward middle ground where the next few weeks could push A.J. Preller toward a full-throttle move or keep the club from making a major splash at all.
With the deadline set for Aug. 3, the Padres are being tied to help on multiple fronts. They need offense.
They need starting pitching. They’ve also been mentioned as a team looking to reinforce the bullpen.
That gives Preller plenty of paths to explore, even if San Diego’s limited trade inventory makes the job more complicated.
Three names stand out as realistic fits.
One is Freddy Peralta, a pitcher the Padres have had their eye on before. San Diego showed real interest in him last winter before he was dealt to the Mets, and he’s remained a logical target.
The 30-year-old hasn’t found much traction in New York, where he has gone 20 starts with a 4.66 ERA across 104.1 innings. But that’s also what makes him appealing: he looks like a bounce-back candidate who could benefit from a change of scenery.
For the Padres, Peralta would be about more than headline value. He could help soak up innings and deepen the rotation down the stretch.
If he rediscovers the form that made him an All-Star a year ago, even better. And with free agency looming after the season, the price tag should be lighter than what it would take to land one of the bigger arms on the market.
Luis Arráez is another name that keeps circling back to San Diego. The former Padres infielder has been linked to the club all season, and there was reporting that he never wanted to leave after last year, though the two sides couldn’t work out a deal. If the Padres found a way to bring him back, it would give the lineup a needed lift.
Arráez has been steady with the Giants, reestablishing himself as a reliable hitter and becoming one of the more attractive bats available. He’s hitting .330 with four home runs, 35 RBIs and 119 hits, along with an .829 OPS.
His glove has also been strong in San Francisco. For a Padres team looking for a spark, he fits the bill.
The third option is Antonio Senzatela, who has taken a different route this season. The 31-year-old has moved from the rotation to the bullpen, and the switch has paid off. After struggling for much of his career as a starter, he’s put together a strong year in relief, posting a 3.31 ERA in 30 appearances with three saves.
Senzatela’s value goes beyond the numbers. He can cover multiple innings, which would give San Diego another way to manage its bullpen workload.
He has thrown 49 innings this season, so there’s room to stretch him out more if needed. He also comes with a club option for $14 million in 2027, which adds another layer to his appeal.
With the deadline closing in, these are the kinds of moves that could fit the Padres’ situation: practical, targeted, and dependent on how much Preller believes in this group over the next few weeks.
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