It's no secret the San Diego Padres are in need of a shortstop. Their current cast is not getting the job done and the team views incumbent starter Alexi Amarista as more of a utility player. Who might general manager A.J. Preller target before the trade deadline?
The latest rumors have surrounded Colorado Rockies' shortstop Troy Tulowitzki as well as Chicago Cubs' middle infielders Starlin Castro and Addison Russell. Tulo was said to have been meeting with his agent last week to request a trade from Rockies' management, but the shortstop denied that speculation late last week.
Similarly, when the New York Mets visited the Cubs for a four-game series last week, trade rumors began to swirl about Chicago trading one of their shortstops to the Mets for a young starting pitcher, which was an ongoing rumor during the offseason. The Cubs' surplus of middle infielders has led many to believe the club would use one of them as trade bait to bolster their starting rotation.
Based on the Padres' current production at the shortstop position, any of the above-mentioned names would undoubtedly interest Preller.
"Many in the industry anticipate that the Padres will acquire a shortstop - the duo of Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes has a combined .603 OPS at the position, 23rd in the majors," writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
There's one more name that many should keep an eye out for within the next couple of months: Milwaukee Brewers' shortstop Jean Segura.
The Brewers are on the rebound after firing manager Ron Roenicke and replacing him with Craig Counsell, but they're still 14-25 and 11.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. Many executives believe Milwaukee will be sellers at the deadline, but all of their top players may not be made available, which includes Segura.
"Word is, [GM Doug] Melvin, after playing counsel on behalf of Counsell, is planning to consider just about anything in terms of trades, though the two players he is most reluctant to deal are star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and young shortstop Jean Segura. Lucroy is the closest to untouchable, it seems, followed fairly closely by Segura," Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote two weeks ago.
However, we are talking about A.J. Preller here, and we can't put it past him to coax the Brewers into making a deal.
"San Diego would be interested in Jean Segura if he were to become available," Heyman added last week. "San Diego likes its shortstop Alexi Amarista, but as a utiltyman. The Padres' rebuilt outfield has generally performed well (though Kemp is slumping) but their infield remains a question."
Segura's breakout season came in 2013 when he batted .294/.329/.423 with 74 runs scored, 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and 44 stolen bases in 146 games, but he hasn't been as successful since. Additionally, he expressed he was unhappy after being placed in the disabled list with a broken pinkie without having the opportunity to prove he'd be able to play through the injury.
"I mean, I understand. They want to keep you healthy or whatever," Segura told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "At some points, you can't dictate the future. I don't want to make that decision. I'm ready to go. Give me a chance to go there and find something, not determine, 'Hey, you're going to be out.' That's what I feel right now."
The Padres traded away a majority of their top 20 prospects, so it's unknown who they would give away in exchange for Segura or if they even have the ammo to do so. Whatever the case, the Brewers will likely need to consider all possible trade options to give them the best opportunity to rebuild, while the Padres cannot be ruled out of any trade rumor after Preller's historic offseason.
