The San Diego Padres, annually known as one of the most aggressive clubs on the trade market thanks to GM AJ Preller, are gearing up for yet another action-packed deadline this season.
The club has made its interest known in superstars of all kinds including Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, Luis Castillo of the Reds, Juan Soto of the Nationals, Frankie Montas of the Athletics, and a pair of Chicago Cubs stars who are finally going to be moved this year.
Making a bold prediction: I believe the Padres are going to land not one, but both of the stars the Cubs are dangling on the trade market, outfielder Ian Happ and catcher Willson Contreras.
San Diego Padres: A bold trade deadline prediction that just might work
The Padres are going to land both Ian Happ and Willson Contreras in a trade, here’s why it just might work.
First off, the Padres have the prospect capital to pull off this deal. With a ton of promising young prospects both on the mound and at the plate, a deal could actually come together pretty easily between the two teams.
Happ, 27, is a switch-hitting outfielder who is under team control for one more year past the current one, and is coming off of his first-career All-Star Game appearance. He would represent an immediate upgrade to the Padres outfield that currently consists of Jurickson Profar, Trent Grisham and Nomar Mazara.
All three of the current Padres starters offer their own set of tools but Happ could easily replace Profar in left field, pushing him back into a super-utility role that he’s likely best suited for. Not to mention, Happ also can play some infield, as he has logged appearances at first, second and third base over the years.
In 96 games this season, Happ has nine home runs, 46 RBI, a .284 batting average and a 128 OPS+ in just under 400 plate appearances. Baseball-Reference has him worth 2.8 bWAR while logging time in both left and center field on defense.
In Contreras, the best available catcher at this year’s deadline, the Padres would be landing one of the more complete backstops in the league, a massive upgrade over the current catching corps of Austin Nola and Jorge Alfaro.
Contreras, 30, is a free agent at season’s end and would represent a rental for the Padres as they continue their march to the postseason. He has posted 2.9 bWAR on the year, hitting 14 home runs with a 134 OPS+ in 83 games while being slightly above average on defense as well.
Here’s a conceivable package that could bring both Happ and Contreras out West.