The Padres have arguably one of the most aggressive president of baseball operations in the sport.
A.J. Preller isn’t afraid to take the leap when it comes to Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. Last summer, the Padres made the deal of the deadline when Preller acquired Mason Miller from the Athletics.
The return package was perhaps the most shocking part of the trade; the Padres sent top prospect Leo De Vries and three other prospects to the Athletics. The move signaled the Padres’ desire to make a deep playoff run, and several insiders believed that would also be the case in 2026.
A few weeks ago, the Padres were considered early favorites to land Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in a blockbuster trade. But San Diego’s slumping offense has given the Skubal speculation reason to pause.
The Padres’ offense ranks last in batting average, OPS, runs and total bases. Though Preller is an aggressive GM, his pursuit of Skubal may be futile if the lineup remains stagnant.
MLB insider Jeff Passan believes the lack of offensive production could hinder the Padres’ deadline plans.
“I think the Padres’ deadline is going to be fascinating this year because when you are in the same league as the Dodgers and the Braves and the Phillies and the Brewers… the National League is stacked. It’s an impressive group of teams. If you’re A.J. Preller and you see the way that your offense has operated this year and you look at the top of your rotation, do you go get Tarik Skubal?” Passan said on “Foul Territory.”
“I think if Ethan Salas is in a trade, at very least, Scott Harris and Detroit, the president of baseball operations there, has to listen because he might potentially be the best prospect that gets offered. But is it worth renting Tarik Skubal for a team like this? A team that has flaws. Or do you look at it and say, you know what, the truth is if we have Tarik Skubal, if we have Michael King, if we have this bullpen, we can go out and beat anybody. But the Padres have mortgaged their farm system so much in recent years.
“I just don’t know if this is the Padres team that’s going to go out and chase.”
Despite winning the deadline last summer, the Padres made an early postseason exit in 2025 with a loss in the wild-card round to the Cubs. As the trade deadline draws closer, it remains to be seen whether Preller will go all in as the Padres’ bats search for answers this summer.