The San Diego Padres have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises this season. The only off-season buzz surrounding the Padres was where they would ship off All-Stars Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell at or before the trade deadline.
But now with the Padres having spent significant time in first place in the tight NL West, not only should Gonzalez and Bell be staying but the Padres should actually be buyers at the deadline rather than sellers.
The Padres pitching has been ridiculous and their infield looks solid with Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Case Headley and Everth Cabrera. The catching combo of Nick Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba has been more than adequate.
But the outfield has largely failed to produce offensively, and left field specifically has been a revolving door of mediocre players all season.
Here is a list of five guys the Padres should be targeting as the July 31 trade deadline approaching.