The San Diego Padres are in the thick of the wild-card race in the National League. While catching the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West will be challenging, they are currently tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the last playoff spot. They have plenty of talent, but still have some holes in their lineup. According to a recent report, the Padres are looking for an upgrade at the catcher position.
San Diego Padres Looking To Trade For A Catcher
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the San Diego Padres are looking for a catcher ahead of the July 31st trade deadline. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado have not provided much offense for the team. Diaz is only hitting .209 this year with 11 RBIs. Maldonado isn’t fairing much better, only hitting .177 with eight RBIs. Getting even a small upgrade at the position would be a huge boost for the team. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.
There isn’t a huge list of trade candidates at the catcher position. Since the league expanded the playoffs, the list of sellers has diminished. Among teams that could be sellers, many of them have young catchers on cost-controlled contracts. The White Sox, Marlins, and Rockies aren’t likely to move their players at the position. Rosenthal indicated the Athletics aren’t willing to move Shea Langeliers at this time. The team may have to live with what they have or wait to see what happens this month.
Final Thoughts
A lot can change in a month. If a team has a bad few weeks, they could decide to punt on the season and sell off assets for future prospects. As the market sits right now, it is unlikely that the San Diego Padres can make a major upgrade. The team could also look to bolster its starting rotation. They need help there, and there are plenty of options available. The MLB trade deadline is always exciting, and it will be interesting to see what teams do in the next month to improve.
