The San Diego Padres are a club that isn't afraid to ever make a splash ahead of the trade deadline.
Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller is one of the most aggressive decision-makers in professional sports and is always looking to make a deal. Right now, the Padres are spiraling out of control and are 2-8 over their last 10 games, but this is a club with star power. Mix that with the fact that Preller isn't afraid to make a deal, and all of a sudden, there are reasons to believe fireworks could be on the way this summer.
On top of this, The Athletic's Dennis Lin noted that with other executives, Padres No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas would likely be "relatively untouchable," but no one is off the table with Preller.
"But, since 2015, Preller has already moved on from six managers and eight lead hitting instructors," Lin wrote. "Even if he is contemplating a potential change to the coaching staff, his hiring history does not inspire much confidence. Meanwhile, his trading track record suggests this season is far from over. At each of the past two deadlines, Preller acquired significant help while operating with a strict budget and a seemingly depleted farm system.
"The executive might consider catcher Ethan Salas relatively untouchable — with Preller, no one is ever off the table — but he could dangle any number of lower-level prospects. And some teams have been led to believe that, this year, the Padres are willing to take on payroll."
If Salas ends up being available, all of a sudden the Padres would be a club that could be in the mix for any available star ahead of the trade deadline.