The San Diego Padres have already made a number of trades this offseason, including the deals that sent Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit packing, but they have yet to make the big move everyone is expecting at the MLB Winter Meetings.
Recent rumors suggest that could soon change.
General manager A.J. Preller has been discussing trades with a number of clubs this offseason and something could come to fruition after a few reports on Wednesday revealed the Pads are willing to move more players than previously expected.
Rival exec: #Padres "aggressive," will listen on anyone, including Ross. Had at least one deal working yesterday.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 9, 2015
"The club has been shopping outfield prospects Travis Jankowski and Hunter Renfroe, sources told the Union-Tribune on Wednesday," writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "San Diego also is listening on its top three starting pitchers -- Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner -- and one source said the Padres have been particularly aggressive about pushing Cashner's name in conversations."
They're in the market for a shortstop, so offering up their plentiful outfielders and starters could help them land one, especially since they'd rather wait to address the need in free agency.
#Padres prefer to exhaust shortstop trade possibilities before delving into free-agent market at the position, sources say.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2015
The acquisition of Jon Jay on Tuesday further added to their outfield, which could be the reason why Preller is offering up Renfroe and Jankowski. Perhaps he's looking to package one or both of them in a deal to shed the remaining $63 million owed to Shields over the next three seasons or the remaining $72 million owed to outfielder Matt Kemp.
Preller has been open to moving Ross, but previous rumors indicated it would take a lot for a team to acquire the right-hander and the cost could be prohibitive. There were talks that the Pads have also considered signing him to an extension.
At some point it's possible Ross could be involved in a deal that sends Cubs infielder Javier Baez to San Diego. Chicago has been interested in acquiring Ross since before this year's trade deadline and the Padres like Baez, who can fill their need at shortstop.
#Padres have interest in #Cubs infielder Javier Baez but no momentum toward deal right now, sources say. @FOXSports
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2015
As for Cashner, there hasn't been much talk surrounding the right-hander, but he could be a good trade candidate because he'll make around $7 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, which would be attractive to a lot of MLB teams looking for rotation depth for the 2016 season.
All of these scenarios leave the door open for a significant trade, whether it be at the Winter Meetings or shortly after. The Padres were the most active team in the MLB last offseason and based on their moves in the early going, that could hold true for this offseason.
