On Wednesday, the Padres watched Joey Gallo head to the East Coast. On Thursday, they saw Max Scherzer and Trea Turner land with their nearest division rival. In the remaining hours before Friday’s trade deadline, they will try to temper their disappointment by reeling in at least one star acquisition of their own.
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The Padres, during Thursday’s 3-0 shutout of the Rockies, traded a pair of prospects to the Nationals for back-end reliever Daniel Hudson. Meanwhile, as Joe Musgrove supplied San Diego’s finest pitching performance in weeks, the starting rotation remained in conspicuous need of an upgrade.
Late Thursday, the Padres continued their pursuit of available trade targets, including Twins right-hander and two-time All-Star José Berríos. Two other prominent names already were off the board.
Gallo had gone from the Rangers to the Yankees. According to sources, the Padres attempted to land the All-Star outfielder by offering first baseman Eric Hosmer, outfield prospect Robert Hassell III and a significant amount of cash. They balked at adding more cash toward the end, however.
Scherzer had gone from the Nationals to the Dodgers. The Padres made an offer for the future Hall of Fame starter, too, but Los Angeles ultimately proved more motivated in its pursuit, agreeing to surrender four well-regarded prospects for Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Turner. Sources said the Padres’ offer did not include any of their top five prospects; such a price for Scherzer, a rental, was deemed steep for San Diego’s liking.
Now, there are mere hours left until the trade deadline at 1 p.m. PT. Even after their latest victory, the Padres occupy a precarious position: They are closer to losing their hold on the National League’s second wild card than they are to winning a pennant. (Cincinnati is five games behind San Diego, which trails San Francisco by 5 1/2 games.) After an offseason of unprecedented build-up, they still intend to pursue a World Series title. Yet they have little time remaining to upgrade a rotation that has represented a glaring disappointment.
Musgrove alleviated some concern Thursday, logging seven shutout innings against a lowly Rockies team. After he left the game, he said, he learned Scherzer and Turner would soon become members of the Padres’ biggest rivals.
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“It doesn’t change things, man,” Musgrove said. “We feel like we’re better than that team, regardless. … We still got another day (before the trade deadline), so who knows what Preller’s got up his sleeve.”
Preller, of course, is A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations. Last August, he authored a historic trade deadline. Almost a year later, he is fielding a franchise-record payroll and a roster that arguably has underachieved. The starting rotation, the focus of Preller’s upgrades, has represented a massive letdown.
Still, especially after the Dodgers’ blockbuster strike, Preller is motivated to muster a response. The Padres, who have had interest in Berríos for years, continued talking with the Twins into early Friday, according to sources. (The price tag on another Minnesota starter, Kenta Maeda, has been prohibitive.) They maintain interest in other starting pitchers, including Texas’ Kyle Gibson and Colorado’s scheduled starter for Friday, Jon Gray. Hudson, who was acquired in exchange for reliever Mason Thompson and infielder Jordy Barley, will fortify the league’s busiest bullpen.
“Being able to add another big-time weapon down there and being able to choose matchups or roles or innings … that’s big,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “I think it’s going to be huge.”
Late Thursday, however, San Diego’s remaining trade need loomed larger. With hours left before the deadline, a season of unprecedented expectation could slip away if the Padres fail to land a star acquisition of their own.
(Photo of Hudson: Bill Streicher / USA Today)
