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The San Diego Padres are in a weird spot right now. They are a team that is more than capable of making another strong push to the postseason with a chance to win their first-ever World Series. However, at 42-35, the Friars are currently out of a Wild Card spot by 0.5 games.
After taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers twice this past week, the Padres are now 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a series win over the Kansas City Royals in walk-off fashion and seem like a team that will be buyers at the MLB Trade Deadline. Despite being labeled as buyers, the team has two players on the roster who should be moved. These two players are not a part of the long-term plan, and they will be difficult to move.
Padres reliever Wandy Peralta and designated hitter Luis Campusano need to be on the trade block for the Padres. Very few teams will be interested, if any, but it is clear that they are replaceable and are not contributing to the success of the team.
Wandy Peralta
Wandy Peralta is not having a good season in his second year in San Diego. After coming over from the New York Yankees, the southpaw lost his elite touch he had the years in New York. He has allowed 14 runs this season in 34 innings, and his ERA is up to 3.71. Peralta signed a four-year, $16.5 million deal with the Padres ahead of last season. With two years remaining on the deal, the Padres need to move on and replace him with someone who won't give up nearly as many runs.
San Diego has formed elite bullpens over the last few seasons. They have a great pitching coach in Ruben Niebla, who is known for getting pitchers to improve. Peralta just isn't one of those pitchers.
It will be hard to trade him. If a contending team is looking for a southpaw who can eat up innings, then Perlata could be an option at a cheap price. If the Padres are looking to improve the bullpen at the MLB Trade Deadline, then Peralta could be packaged with a prospect to fill as a replacement for the opposing reliever traded to San Diego.
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Luis Campusano
Luis Campusano is currently in Triple-A El Paso, where he has had a lot of success in his young career. The issue with Campusano is that the Padres are hesitant to play him at catcher, where he has struggled in the big leagues. The potential was through the roof as a young prospect, but the right-handed hitter has yet to live up to that label. The Padres have given him some chances, but with very few real opportunities to stay on the roster.
He did not register a hit this season in 18 at-bats and nine games. He was on the roster for a while this year, but had weeks of not touching the field. After an injury, Campusano hit .319 with an .847 OPS in 2023 in just 49 games. He had seven homers and 30 RBIs, and 52 hits in a lost season for the Friars. In 2024, he had eight homers, 40 RBIs, but batted just .227. He seriously struggled after showing positive signs after an injury the year prior.
Campusano can be a good right-handed hitter who hits lefties well. He just needs to be put in the right situation and needs consistent at-bats. He has hit over .300 in the minors the last two seasons, and he has an OPS of 1.016 this year in El Paso. Something has to give for this player, and maybe it will happen with a different team. It seems as if the Padres are not going to really give him a chance, and he should be traded to another team. There is also no reason why he can't be included in a packaged deal for a better player. San Diego desperately needs another bat and a decent-hitting catcher.
Jackson Merrill recently returned to the team after a concussion, and the Padres are hoping they can make a push and become buyers at the deadline. As difficult as it may be, it won't be shocking if Peralta and Campusano are on different teams post-deadline.
