Here are 3 Deadline moves the Padres could consider

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It’s trade season.

It should be an eventful 3 1/2 weeks for San Diego -- although under general manager A.J. Preller, is the Trade Deadline ever uneventful? This year, however, the Padres have already swung two of their biggest moves. San Diego landed Dylan Cease in March, then pulled off another stunner in May by trading for Luis Arraez.

Those deals filled two of the Padres’ most glaring areas of need -- a frontline starter and a lefty bat. Those deals also depleted their farm.

So that's the backdrop with the July 30 Deadline approaching. The Padres' system isn't as deep as it once was, and they'd still prefer to avoid trading any of their high-end talent -- namely the four players they have ranked in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects. They're also unlikely to take on much salary, in an effort to remain under the collective bargaining tax threshold and reset penalties.

With all that in mind, it seems somewhat doubtful the Padres would pull off a major splash ahead of the Deadline. But it's entirely possible they could make several minor ones. Here are their three areas of need:

1. A high-leverage reliever

The Padres bet on Robert Suarez being able to step into their closer role -- and they nailed that gamble. Suarez has been one of the best closers in baseball. San Diego has also gotten more than could've reasonably been expected from waiver claim Jeremiah Estrada. At long last, Adrian Morejon has graduated to high-leverage innings as well.

But right now this bullpen is one piece short. Maybe it's a lockdown eighth-inning arm to bump Estrada and Morejon to earlier innings. Maybe it's someone who can share the burden alongside those two. But the Padres must add to that mix.

Estrada is already approaching his career high in appearances. Morejon has a lengthy injury history. Beyond those two, Enyel De Los Santos and Wandy Peralta are known commodities capable of handling heavy workloads. But if they're pitching major high-leverage innings down the stretch, the Padres seem likely to get exposed.

But with one more high-leverage arm, all those puzzle pieces would seem to fit.

2. A back-end starter

The Padres found themselves in a precarious position in late July 2021. They were clinging to a playoff spot with serious question marks in their rotation. The Deadline came and went, and San Diego did not upgrade. The season spiraled from there amid numerous pitching injuries.

This year feels remarkably similar. Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish are both dealing with right elbow inflammation, and their status is uncertain. Cease and Michael King have been solid. Matt Waldron has been a revelation. But the Padres need more.

Their organizational rotation depth is again thin. Randy Vásquez and No. 5 prospect Adam Mazur have struggled in replacing Darvish and Musgrove. Jhony Brito is being built back into a starter. But beyond that group, the Padres don't have many options -- and that group itself hasn't been good enough.

The Padres don't need to break the bank in a Cease-like deal at the Deadline. They need a serviceable back-end starter who can stabilize things and help get them to the postseason. If Darvish and/or Musgrove return to full strength, and San Diego's Deadline acquisition doesn’t have a place in a hypothetical postseason rotation -- that’s a fine problem to have.

Here’s an excellent breakdown from our Mark Feinsand of the starting pitchers who might be available.

3. An outfielder/bench bat

The Padres don't need to replace Fernando Tatis Jr. with a trade. Tatis should be back for the stretch run once the stress reaction in his right femur has healed. But Tatis' injury makes it clear how thin San Diego is in the outfield -- juxtaposed with its glut of infielders.

Tatis, Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar have combined to form one of the best starting outfields in the NL. But with Tatis out, the Padres' other options aren't ideal. The light-hitting Bryce Johnson has taken over as San Diego's regular right fielder. David Peralta homered Wednesday night, but he has mostly struggled. Tyler Wade isn't a serious candidate to start.

Another outfielder would go a long way toward stabilizing a Tatis-less outfield. But more importantly, when Tatis returns, the Padres’ roster would be a lot more dynamic, with better options at DH and for the bench.