Do the Padres Have the Capital to Be Buyers at the Deadline?

If there’s one thing the San Diego Padres have been known for over the last few seasons, it’s been their aggression at the trade deadline. With the team currently sitting at 44-36 and zero games back from a Wild Card spot, it makes total sense for them to repeat their old ways.

However, the one downside that comes with their aggressive ways is that they often trade plenty of their top prospects on deadline day in the process. Over the years, they gave up a huge package for Juan Soto that included star prospects James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell, and Jarlin Susana, as well as a large group of MLB talent.

They also dealt a group of prospects that most notably included Robby Snelling last season, slimming their farm system even more.

While they’ve done a good job at replenishing their farm system, it is notably thinner for a team that’s hoping to buy in a seller’s market. It becomes even slimmer when you consider the team has tried incredibly hard to avoid trading their two members of our top 100, Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas.

The Padres have also faced some financial challenges over the last few seasons, which makes a blockbuster deal even more difficult for them to pull off. However, they do have some money coming off the books at the end of the season, meaning they do have some money to play around with at the deadline.

Given this, it’ll all come back to their prospect capital as to whether or not the team can make the move they need to establish themselves as contenders. Let’s take a closer look at their farm system, and determine some realistic targets for them at next month’s deadline.

The Headlining Prospects

The Padres have made it extremely clear that they don’t plan on parting with their two top prospects, Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas. While they may not have had the budget to try their hands at one of the key pieces by the deadline, this would’ve hurt their chances as well.

Despite this, the Padres do have some intriguing pieces outside of their top two prospects.

Humberto Cruz, RHP

Team Rank: 4

The first name that really stands out when looking deeper into the Padres’ farm system is the fourth-ranked prospect in our Padres top 15, righty Humberto Cruz. Cruz was signed by the Padres for $750,000 in 2024, joining De Vries as the team’s biggest international free agent signings.

One of the better prospects out of Mexico, Cruz has a profile the Padres can really dream on, especially with how they’ve developed pitching recently. He comes with an electric arsenal, including a high-90s fastball which has the potential to be a 60-grade offering in the major leagues.

Along with this, the 18-year-old has a fantastic slider, which could also potentially reach the 60-grade threshold someday soon. His changeup is also a solid offering, with good arm-side break.

Cruz has struggled through 17.1 innings this season, but it’s such a small sample size that we can’t take too many negatives away from his struggles. It’s clear that the potential is there, but the fact that the talent is still so raw might make the perfect blend to lead him to be dealt this July.

Braden Nett, RHP

Team Rank: 5

Out of all of the solid arms currently in the Padres’ system, Braden Nett has likely had the most unique journey. He was signed by the club as an undrafted free agent in 2022 for just $10,000, and he’s since blossomed into being one of the best arms in the system.

Nett is currently pitching in Double-A, where he’s been dominant so far this year. Nett has pitched 61.1 innings across 13 starts, striking out 73 batters to just 25 walks, while also maintaining an ERA of 3.23. Given this performance, he’s landed on people’s radars in a big way.

He boasts a very good five-pitch mix, which includes a fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, and a changeup, with most of these pitches receiving a future 50 grade.

As Nett continues to make a name for himself, he could pitch his way into becoming one of the more interesting, underrated arms the Padres have to offer in this year’s trade deadline.

Kash Mayfield

Team Rank: 6

Out of the three players I chose to individually highlight, Kash Mayfield may be the most recognizable name, as he was a former first-round pick by the club back in 2024. He had some of the most repeatable mechanics in the entire draft, which helped him land inside the first round.

In a small sample size this season, Mayfield has been dominant in Low-A. He’s thrown 29 innings across 10 starts and recorded 46 strikeouts to just 12 walks while posting a 3.72 ERA. This is especially impressive when you consider this is his first taste of professional baseball to this point.

Mayfield is currently a three-pitch pitcher, relying on a fastball, slider, and changeup to get him by. His fastball creates a good tunnel with his changeup, which is his best offering. His slider has taken strides forward this season, also, as it could become a key part of his arsenal.

While it’s still unclear exactly how he profiles, Mayfield’s pedigree as a former first-rounder shows just how much the Padres believe in him, while also showing why other teams may be interested on deadline day.

Other Names

While Cruz, Nett, and Mayfield are the three players who stand out the most when examining the Padres’ farm system closer, they’re far from the only names who stand out. Cobb Hightower, Boston Bateman, and Kale Fountain may all become interesting trade targets.

Hightower was a third-round pick, and he profiles well as a bat-first second baseman in the major leagues. He’s struggled early in his career, but he still displays an intriguing profile at the plate. He’s also still workable, considering he’s just 20 years old.

Bateman is also quite interesting, as he was a second-round pick in last year’s draft, who received a hefty signing bonus of $2.5 million. He’s made a good case for being the best left-hander in their minor league system, as he attacks hitters with a polished three-pitch mix.

He’s pitched to a 3.54 ERA this season across 56 innings, striking out 63 batters and allowing just one home run. He could profile more as a reliever in the future, which had led to him being overlooked in the farm system. Regardless, he’s a very interesting arm.

Finally, Fountain is another member of the Padres’ loaded 2024 draft class, and he’s arguably the best bat not named De Vries or Salas they have to offer. Despite being drafted in the fifth round, he was a heavy over-slot signer, as he was inked by the club for $1.7 million.

Fountain has one of the most electric power bats in the system, as we gave it a potential 60-grade in our Padres Top-15 prospects list. He also still has solid plate discipline as well, which makes his profile even more interesting.

He’s done very well in Complex League play this season, slashing .284/.381/.409 with a 119 wRC+ and one homer across his first 25 games. He may be blocked in the system as he moves up the chain, making him an interesting trade candidate.

As you can see, the Padres have some solid pieces to offer outside of their top two prospects. They should also be perfectly in line with the type of trade the Padres can afford budget-wise as well.

Potential Deadline Targets

Now that we’ve established some of the pieces the Padres have available to offer, who are some of the players the team could target on deadline day? Given their current need for a left fielder and potentially another starter, two names jump out to me as making perfect sense.

The left fielder who stands out to me as the best fit for the club is Angels outfielder Taylor Ward. He’s currently making just $7.825 million, and he still has another year of control before he hits the free-agent market, meaning he’s perfectly in line with the type of player they can afford to add.

He’s also in the midst of a career-best power season, which is exactly where the Padres need help. They currently rank 27th in homers with 72, and if they added Ward’s 20 homers, they’d jump to being tied with the Rays for 13th in the league.

Ward is currently slashing .210/.283/.469 in addition to his 20 homers, while also posting a 104 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR to this point. While his wRC+ is significantly below his career average, his power surge has made up for it greatly, and the fact that his career norm is much higher gives me faith it can rebound.

At his peak, Ward was a four-win player with 23 homers and a 136 wRC+, and to add this level of peak production to the Padres offense would do wonders for this team.

He also shouldn’t cost an astronomical amount in prospect capital, and with the Angels needing pitching help, this is a deal we could definitely see the Padres make at the deadline.

As for the starting pitcher that sticks out to me most, Pirates’ left-hander Andrew Heaney makes a ton of sense. The Padres could use a reliable innings-eater in case Michael King or Yu Darvish aren’t healthy for the Postseason, and Andrew Heaney is the perfect choice.

Heaney is currently on a one-year deal worth just $5.25 million, meaning he wouldn’t come with a huge commitment financially or time-wise. Heaney has pitched to a 4.48 ERA across 86.1 innings this season, as he’s been a relatively stable option for the Pirates to turn to.

He’s also shown flashes of being very good at times, with just a few bad starts skewing his season totals. The Pirates have also done a similar deal with the Padres in the past, as they sent Martin Perez to the Padres as an innings-eater at the 2024 deadline.

The Pirates are desperately in need of offensive help, and the Padres have two decent prospects to offer in this field. Hightower, Fountain, or some other lower-tier hitters could easily get this deal done.

Edward Cabrera is another name I could see the Padres target, but this is the first time I begin to question the strength of the farm system. With Cabrera having three years of control in addition to this year, he’d cost a hefty amount, especially given his career-year this season.

Cabrera would also be much more than the innings-eater the club is looking for, as he’s a very good starting pitcher. However, I know better at this point than to question A. J. Preller as he’s proven time and time again that anything is possible.

Can They Pull Off a Move?

After diving into both the Padres’ needs and some of the prospects they may have to use in trades, I firmly believe that their farm system is strong enough to address their needs at the trade deadline.

As I previously mentioned, neither Ward nor Heaney will break the bank financially or in terms of prospect capital, and both of these moves would perfectly address their needs. Ward adds their desperate need for a power bat, and Heaney will cover the innings needed without a huge commitment.

There are many other routes the Padres could choose to take for around the same cost, and I think they have the capital to do any move with similar asking prices to Ward or Heaney. If they can find the right players, this deadline could propel them to be true contenders.

For A. J. Preller, this deadline will be about being crafty with his resources and maximizing his potential with the farm system he has left. He certainly has the strength to do it, but it’ll be interesting to see how he does in a situation where the blockbuster trade isn’t feasible or the answer.