We are marching towards August 3rd, the MLB Trading deadline, and the Padres have needs, for different reasons.  Rent a veteran?  Try to get an ace?  Find a back of the rotation guy?  Who to trade to get whomever?

SAN DIEGO…They are closer to last place than they are to first place with some 60-games left in the season.  They are trying to scrape together  enough starting pitching to find a wildcard spot.  The discussion is do they buy, do they sell?

The second big question, who do you trade, whom on your big league roster can you give up, or are you willing to move more talent out of the farm system instead to get a starting pitcher.  

Of course if this 10-game road trip turns bad, then maybe you sell, and the conversation then turns, do you move relief ace Mason Miller, whom you own for 3-more seasons, and hope to reap a bonanza in return?  Do you part with the fast developing Adrian Morejon?

Who is a trading partner?

Seattle has pitching to spare but needs a reliever, so do you part with Adrian Morejon to get one of the Mariners extra starters?  Is George Kirby the guy?

Do you call Cincinnati, which has star pitching and back end pitching, but the Reds want quality prospects.  Are we revisiting depleting the farm system again?  Can you pry oft-injured Hunter Greene in a big deal?

You can get a frontline starter out of Minnesota, Joe Ryan, but that price is going to be steep even if it is a short term rental.

The Mets have aging Freddy Peralta, who would be cheap or once front of the line starter Kodai Senga in probably a 1-for-1 transaction.

The intriguing names are in Anaheim, Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano, the only chips the Halos would likely move, but as they begin a massive rebuild, they want blue chip prospects and you’d hate to think giving up C-Ethan Salas has to be part of the deal.

Kansas City is having a wretched season, but do the Padres want to revisit Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo, with all that age and injury history?  And what do you give up?

It’s been a substandard season in Toronto, just months removed from the World Series, and Kevin Gausman could be an exceptional rental, but he will not come cheaply, and lots of teams may be in the bidding, which drives the price up.

Once upon a time, the Red Sox, Miami, Detroit, might have been in talks, but they are part of 11-teams now in the wildcard race, and their marquee names are off the board.

So here we sit, after another Padres loss, with another non-quality start, with the season getting shorter by the week.

The Friars have to do something.  Hate to think ‘Fire Sale’.  Wish I could say ‘Deal to be made’ but just not sure whom AJ Preller can afford, what price he is willing to pay, and if the ‘in limbo ownership group’ would let him take on more salary and tax payments.

Tough call, what to do, and how to do it.

========