San Diego Padres Trade Deadline Wish List

Kyle Gibson, Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are floundering in the basement of the American League West. Their current predicament will force them to begin purging valuable trade chips off the roster this July. One of the top candidates is Kyle Gibson who is having an outstanding season thus far. He has one year to go on a three-year deal at $7 million, which will make Gibson much more than a two-month rental.

It is hard to imagine how far-removed Gibson is from his career 4.57 ERA. Through 13 starts, the 33-year-old owns a 2,09 ERA thanks to his ability to miss bats and keep runners off the base path.

Gibson is a proven innings-eater as he leads the majors with 11 quality starts. He fits perfectly into the back end of the Padres rotation as those current starters have struggled against quality hitting lineups. Their inconsistency has put more emphasis on the offense to score runs.

Yes, the Padres have several internal (Ryan Weathers and MacKenzie Gore) options that could be inserted into the rotation. But it would be wise to add another veteran starter at the trade deadline. Preller’s relationship with the Rangers organization may help to bring Gibson to San Diego, but there will be no discount in the price to be sent back to Texas.