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San Diego Padres General Manager and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller has built a reputation as an aggressively hands-on front office leader who thrives on the trade deadline, when he can leverage players from the San Diego minor league system to address holes on the major league roster. Looking ahead to the 2026 deadline, Preller may not have the same depth of prospect talent to deal from, but that does not necessarily mean there won’t be opportunities to make deals. The key question remains: Should he attempt to reshuffle the roster at the deadline?
The Padres just endured a painful eight-game losing streak, and after a brief win, followed it with another lackluster defeat at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing 8-0 in the opening game of their four-game series to start the week. That loss dropped San Diego two games below .500 and pushed them outside the current playoff picture. During the streak, the Padres—who had led the Wild Card race for much of the season—slipped further behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, dropping out of a secure postseason position.
Offense has been the ongoing trouble for San Diego, with the club ranking near the bottom of MLB in several key categories. Early expectations were that the Padres would look to bolster the lineup at the trade deadline, especially after the season-ending injury to Ramon Laureano. However, over the past several weeks—and most notably during the eight-game skid—the starting pitching has become increasingly erratic, with multiple starters failing to complete five innings in outings. The rotation’s struggles have come amid a lengthy list of injuries, as the Padres have endured a cascade of players on the injured list. Yu Darvish was pronounced out for the season before Spring Training, Joe Musgrove started the season on the IL, and Nick Pivetta joined him on the IL soon after the season began. More recently, Matt Waldron, German Márquez, and Randy Vasquez have been sidelined with injuries as well.
Yet the Padres entered Wednesday night’s game against the Diamondbacks just one game under .500, aiming to secure back-to-back wins in the series. Given their current record and form, the upcoming trade deadline feels uncertain for Padres fans. The team could surge and push toward a playoff spot, or they could stumble further and drop out of contention. The Gaslamp Ball Padres Reacts Survey this week asks: “What should the Padres do at the trade deadline?” There remains plenty of baseball left before the deadline, but it’s never too early to start plotting the future. Whether that future involves major-league help this season or moves to set up the farm system for long-term success, planning is essential.