The San Diego Padres have one of the best rosters in baseball, but they’re still a step or two behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the coming weeks, the Padres will likely get aggressive at the trade deadline to fill the few holes left on the roster. If they make the right moves, they could close the gap on the Dodgers before August comes around.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently suggested the Padres should swing a trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara. In the deal proposed by Bowden, the Padres would send catcher Ethan Salas, shortstop Leo De Vries, pitcher Humberto Cruz, and pitcher Braden Nett to Miami in exchange for Alcántara.
“To acquire three postseasons of club control with Alcantara’s contract, the Padres might be willing to give up their top two prospects, De Vries and Salas,” Bowden wrote. “In addition, they’d have to include Cruz and Nett, two of their best pitching prospects. The Marlins are not shopping Alcantara, but this is the type of trade offer they would have to accept given the potential long-term benefits for the club.
“It’s a steep price for the Padres, but if he’s moved, Alcantara will be the best pitcher traded at the deadline. Dylan Cease and Michael King will be eligible for free agency after this season, so adding Alcantara would assure San Diego of an ace to lead its rotation into next year.”
Alcántara would be a dream acquisition for the Padres, especially since Dylan Cease and Michael King are both hitting free agency at the end of the year. While it’s realistic to re-sign one of the two pitchers, it’s unrealistic to land both. Trading for Alcántara would fill the void in a huge way.
But this might be too steep a prospect haul for the Padres to trade away. San Diego has swung massive trades over the last few years and it’s been left with a crippled farm system. It’s hard to imagine the front office wanting to move multiple top prospects in another big deal.
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