The Padres have lengthy been anticipated to search for methods to bolster the offense this deadline season. The outfield appears like a specific space of concern, and AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes that the membership is certainly scouring the marketplace for assistance on the grass.
San Diego has had a middle-of-the-pack offense total, getting into play Friday with a .241/.317/.374 crew slash line. That features a monster .307/.381/.525 exhibiting from star third baseman Manny Machado, although, and the Friars’ manufacturing has been a bit top-heavy. 5 gamers (Trent Grisham, Austin Nola, C.J. Abrams, José Azocar and Wil Myers) have taken 100+ plate appearances and been a minimum of 15 share factors worse than league common with the bat, by measure of wRC+. That results in some areas rife for attainable upgrades, significantly in an outfield that has been a bottom-ten unit with a .220/.303/.346 exhibiting.
Few outfielders are extra apparent commerce candidates than Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi. An impending free agent on a final place membership, the 28-year-old appears like a digital lock to alter uniforms over the subsequent few weeks. He’ll be a precedence goal for a number of outfield-needy groups, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post studies the Padres are among the many golf equipment with curiosity.
Benintendi is hitting .317/.386/.401 by way of 363 plate appearances. He’s solely linked on a trio of longballs, however he owns a powerful 10.2% stroll price and has punched out in a career-low 14% of his journeys. Whereas he’s not making a lot affect from an influence perspective, he brings a disciplined plate strategy and makes loads of contact. Benintendi has additionally rated nicely in left discipline within the estimation of Defensive Runs Saved since touchdown in Kansas Metropolis, and he collected a Gold Glove and completed second in Fielding Bible Award voting on the place final season.
The Friars welcomed again left fielder Jurickson Profar from the concussion injured listing this night, only a week after he suffered the scary damage in a collision with Abrams. Profar will pair with Nomar Mazara within the nook outfield, with Grisham more likely to proceed because the common middle fielder. Every of Profar and Mazara is having a pleasant season, however they personal extra inconsistent profession observe data. Grisham has had a tough 12 months, carrying a .192/.295/.334 line into play tonight.
Cassavell suggests a middle field-capable participant is likely to be a goal given Grisham’s struggles, though the marketplace for middle fielders is sort of skinny. Oakland’s Ramón Laureano is the highest middle fielder with a good probability to be dealt, however he’d require a really robust return with three seasons of membership management remaining. Benintendi’s teammate Michael A. Taylor can be a extra inexpensive fallback, though he’s had a typically up-and-down observe report on the plate for his profession. Benintendi has a little bit of expertise in middle discipline himself, however he hasn’t logged an inning there since 2019.
Payroll limitations loom over the Padres’ deadline outlook. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently explored, San Diego’s luxurious tax ledger is simply beneath the $230MM base threshold. The group hasn’t proven a lot urge for food for surpassing that mark for a second consecutive season, elevating questions on what sort of acquisitions president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and his employees could possibly make. Benintendi, as an illustration, is enjoying on an $8.5MM wage. Round $3.4MM of that tab will nonetheless be owed come the August 2 commerce deadline, and assuming that cash would push San Diego into luxurious tax territory if all else remained equal. After all, the Padres might attempt to offload cash of their very own and/or solely take care of groups prepared to pay down the wage of traded gamers in the event that they’re intent on avoiding the CBT.
No participant the Padres add from outdoors the group shall be a extra impactful addition than Fernando Tatís Jr. The star shortstop has but to play this season after being recognized with a wrist fracture in Spring Coaching. He’s set for a step ahead, although, as Preller advised Ben & Woods on 93.7 The Fan that Tatís was set to start his hitting development in the present day (Twitter link). He’ll proceed to be reevaluated on a week-to-week foundation, nevertheless it’s a notable improvement as he’d lengthy awaited clearance to start swinging a bat.
Tatís will definitely nonetheless want a good bit of time to construct again into recreation form, and he’ll then should embark on a minor league rehab task to get his timing down. Within the interim, the Friars will proceed to separate shortstop time between Ha-Seong Kim and Abrams. The previous has been the first shortstop for a lot of the 12 months. He’s performed wonderful protection all through the season, and he’s caught hearth of late on the dish. After hitting solely .232/.327/.295 in June, Kim owns a .344/.421/.531 mark by way of the primary couple weeks of July.
