The San Diego Padres are one of the teams to watch at the trade deadline, as players like Tyson Ross, Craig Kimbrel, James Shields, Ian Kennedy, Justin Upton and Andrew Cashner could be targets for teams like the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, NY Mets, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles and this comes as the Padres have looked into a deal with shortstop Starlin Castro.
The Padres made a number of big moves in the offseason and they have disappointed overall and that is why numerous players are getting trade attention at the deadline. The team is shopping Justin Upton as he heads into free agency and teams like the NY Mets and the Baltimore Orioles have talked to the team about the outfielder. The Mets and Padres reportedly could not agree on compensation, while the Orioles could consider a deal that likely would have a pitcher involved.
According to Jon Morosi at Fox Sports, the Orioles are interested in Upton and also could try and trade for Ross, Shields or Kennedy if they make a move. The Orioles have a solid farm system and the team sees the AL as wide open and they have a major need in the outfield. Ross is getting a lot of attention, as he has team control years and is young and teams could try and pry him in deals for Upton or Kimbrel. According to CBS Sports, the Yankees and Nationals have shown interest in Kimbrel.
The Nationals have been looking for bullpen help and with Tyler Clippard now traded, Kimbrel could be an option for Washington. The Blue Jays have been in the market for pitching help and after just trading for Troy Tulowitzki, the team could go after a pitcher. Morosi writes that Ian Kennedy is a target with the Padres, while James Shields and other pitchers like Mike Leake also could be options. The Cubs and Padres have talked a deal, as CBS Sports reports that the teams talked about a Castro deal.
John Heyman reports that the Cubs are not interested in Shields, but that the team would be more interested in Andrew Cashner or Ross in a trade. The Padres have gotten interest from numerous teams in Ross, including from the Texas Rangers, Astros, Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Castro is having a down season and that could hurt his trade value if the Cubs decide to trade the shortstop. The deadline is coming up on Friday and teams are starting to position themselves to make moves.
Upton is likely to get traded and teams also could push hard for Kimbrel, who has once again been strong in the bullpen, making 29 of 30 save chances. The Yankees have reportedly been interested in Kimbrel, but the team is more likely to add another starting pitcher. Kimbrel has nearly $30 million left on his contract and that could make him tougher to trade. Shields just signed a big free agent deal and teams may not want to take on that money from the Padres.
Check here for more on the Padres potential deals at the deadline.
