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No matter how you look at it, the San Diego Padres need help. Quickly. Right now, the Friars don't look like a playoff team, but that doesn't mean that AJ Preller and his front office staff aren't going to go down trying at the trade deadline.
So, what should they do? Except for Michael King, who went through his own struggles in June, the starting rotation is spiraling. At the same time, the starting lineup has not just been bad. They've been an embarrassment. Bottom line, San Diego needs to trade to help on both sides of the ball.
The philosophy of putting together a postseason contender starts with pitching, though. So, that must be a priority. Luckily for the Padres, they may have some pitching reinforcements, which could ultimately shift Preller's focus to trading for a bat.
Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove have each thrown bullpen sessions within the last week, simulating a two-inning outing. Now, we shouldn't rush to call these two pitchers our saviors for the season, but if we can get one or both of these guys back in a few weeks, then most of our trade chips can go towards improving the offense.
Returns of Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove could knock out two for the price of one
Pivetta, who hasn't made a start since April 12, is an obvious help to the rotation. Last year, Pivetta finished sixth in the NL Cy Young vote following a tremendous debut season in San Diego. Having him in the rotation is great for fan morale, and great for improving the staff.
Relying on Musgrove is a little more difficult. He hasn't pitched in an MLB game since October 2024. He's gone through several setbacks. But, a guy like Musgrove would provide a spark that this franchise needs. We'll take any amount of juice that his return could squeeze.
All the while, Preller can try and uplift the lineup, which is second to last in the majors in batting average (.230) and 27th in OPS (.688). If the Padres were to make another splash at the deadline, it would have to be for a hitter, even if pitching wins championships. But having Pivetta and/or Musgrove come back helps justify that difficult decision.
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This article was originally published on friarsonbase.com as How Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta could reshape Padres' trade deadline plans.
