A.J. Preller made the most trades of any MLB team this offseason to revamp the San Diego Padres roster. He may continue to make some deals during the year, but rumors suggest they might be to get value for some of the team's impending free agents.
Those players are Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy. It all depends on how the club is performing as the trade deadline approaches.
"The Pads, even if they are in contention, could move right-hander Ian Kennedy, a potential free agent, to clear a spot for Odrisamer Despaigne," writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "If things turned sour, they also could flip another potential free agent, left fielder Justin Upton."
Following his first start of the season, Kennedy hit the disabled list with a hamstring injury and returned at the end of April. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in three starts, but those numbers are inflated because he was tattooed in his first outing back from the DL, where he surrendered eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It depends on how he performs as the season progresses, but the Padres may not need him because of Despaigne's presence in the bullpen.
Despaigne is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 0.844 WHIP in six games (two starts) with the Padres this season and he successfully filled in for Kennedy while he was on the DL. In those two starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, the right-hander went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA. This is no surprise because he had a successful rookie campaign in 2014, during which he finished with a 3.36 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 16 starts (96 1/3 innings). He was only moved to the bullpen because the team signed both James Shields and Brandon Morrow to improve the veteran presence in their starting rotation.
If another contending club is willing to pay for an experienced starter, the Padres may not hesitate to deal Kennedy and slide Despaigne into the rotation.
As for Upton, the slugger was acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Braves this offseason and said he'd be open to signing an extension with San Diego, but only if it was agreed upon before spring training. Perhaps the Padres wanted to see how the club performed before giving Upton the big bucks because he's expected to be one of the most coveted free agents after the 2015 season.
But as Rosenthal noted, Preller may look to get value for Upton if the Padres fall far behind in the NL West as the trade deadline approaches, considering the GM surrendered a fruitful package of prospects in return for the 27-year-old.
However, things are trending upward for San Diego right now. Their 14-13 record is good enough for second in the NL West as they sit three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pads' offense is among the best in the league (3rd in runs scored), but their defense needs improvement (25th in errors and 21st in fielding percentage) if they wish to contend later in the season.
Keep an eye out for Preller to be active before the trade deadline.
