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The San Diego Padres entered the 2023 season as one of the favorites to win the World Series. With a roster dripping with talent, expectations are very high for a team that was three wins away from playing in the Fall Classic last year.
As fate would have it though, this season hasn’t gone as swimmingly as the Padres and their fans would have hoped or expected. A losing May has dropped San Diego four games below .500 60 games in. With the summer quickly approaching, the Padres should take it upon themselves to be proactive and get out of the hole and back into playoff contention sooner rather than later. Here are three players who could help get them there.
Yasmani Grandal – C, White Sox
Gone are the days when Yasmani Grandal was one of the best catchers in the league. An All-Star in 2019, Grandal lost his grove at the plate in 2022 and his defense behind it didn’t improve. A negative defensive runs saved according to Fangraphs paired with a .202 batting average made last season the worst of Grandal's career.
Fast forward to now and Grandal has regained some of his form at the plate. Though his power numbers still aren’t back to what they used to be (four home runs in 146 at-bats), he has a .710 OPS with 30 combined RBIs and runs scored.
The Padres have gotten virtually no production from a platoon of catchers. Austin Nola is hitting .131 and the Padres just recently signed Gary Sanchez to try and find a spark behind the plate.
Grandal shouldn’t cost that much and would be an instant upgrade for the Padres. The Chicago White Sox are on the outside of the American League playoff picture and would be wise to capitalize on some of the value that Yasmani Grandal carries at the moment. It's a move that makes sense for all parties.
Jose Leclerc – RHP, Rangers
Jose Leclerc has quietly been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball since the start of the 2022 season. A 2.83 ERA and seven saves proved Leclerc a versatile and reliable arm out of the bullpen for the Texas Rangers last year. He was tabbed as the Rangers' closer to start this season but a pair of early blown saves cost him the label before April was over.
The Padres have the third-best bullpen in terms of ERA and have several trustworthy arms to trot out in the late innings. There's always room for more though, especially for a team that is trying to compete for a playoff spot and a championship were they to qualify for the postseason.
Leclerc has pitched well this season, posting a 2.95 ERA in 18 innings. He's expendable though and if the Padres make the right offer to the Rangers, Texas could be intrigued. The Rangers are trying to make a playoff push as well and could use another starting pitcher as opposed to Jose Leclerc's services in the bullpen now that they are no longer relying on him to be the closer.
Joc Pederson – DH/OF, Giants
A popular archetype of a player that is traded at the deadline is a lefty corner outfielder who has some pop in his bat. Joc Pederson fits that bill perfectly and he's already been dealt at the deadline in his career, moving to the Atlanta Braves en route to helping them win the World Series in 2021.
Pederson's 2023 has been halted by multiple injuries, most recently a right hand contusion that's kept him out of the lineup since May 12. He's nearing a return soon though and began a rehab assignment on June 3.
His numbers this season are pretty on-par with his career averages and just a bit down from what he finished with last season during an All-Star campaign. He's hitting .235/.351/.494 in 26 games. He's scored 12 runs and driven in 18. He had three extra-base hits in the last four games he played before his latest injury.
The Padres have plenty of lefty bats already in their lineup but would likely welcome the power and versatility that Pederson brings. He can hit anywhere in the lineup and though he's exclusively been the Giants' designated hitter this season he can still play the outfield to give someone else a day off.
Furthermore, Matt Carpenter and Trent Grisham, the two players Pederson would most likely be replacing, are hitting a combined .189 this season. The Padres can't afford to have two players like that in their everyday lineup.
Joc Pederson checks all the boxes for San Diego and should be available if the Padres push the Giants into fourth place in the NL West. He wouldn’t be the cheapest given the nature of trading in the division, but Padres general manager A.J. Preller knows how to strike a deal.
