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The Padres’ rotation has been mostly excellent this season. But lately, we’ve gotten a glimpse of how fragile the team’s starting-pitching depth really is.

Ryan Weathers struggled filling in for Seth Lugo while Lugo rehabbed a calf strain. On Saturday, when the Padres skipped Michael Wacha's turn in the rotation, they promoted unheralded knuckleballer Matt Waldron. And, sure, Waldron filled in admirably. But the recent rotation volatility raises an important question for the next month as the Trade Deadline approaches:

Should the Padres trade for a starting pitcher?

It's a complicated question with a number of moving parts. My early understanding of the team’s thinking is that, yes, they'd explore the possibility. But, no, they won't feel compelled to do so. Here's a look at some of the factors behind that looming decision:

Are they even buying?

Let’s get the big one out of the way first. After losing this weekend’s series to the last-place Nationals, the Padres sit 9 1/2 games back in the NL West and 6 1/2 out of a playoff spot.

If that’s still the situation at the Trade Deadline, it’d be hard to find any reason to trade future assets for a starter. But the Padres have ample time to put themselves in a better position. If they could, say, halve that Wild Card deficit, they’d be very much alive. The better their position, the more likely they’d be to add.

So, for the sake of this argument, let’s assume the Padres are in the hunt. What then?

They have Nick Martinez

Martinez re-signed with San Diego eyeing a starting role. He opened the season in the rotation and was solid.

Then, a need arose in the bullpen, and Martinez filled it. He's become a valuable setup weapon with Robert Suarez (and Drew Pomeranz) on the shelf.

Still, Martinez has plenty of starting experience, and he won't have too many innings to his ledger if the Padres were to build him back up. Martinez has experience moving between the bullpen and rotation in-season, as he did with Texas.

"I would just need to be built back up," Martinez said. "My workload is a little bit lower than it would be if I were a starter right now, given just where the staff is. But I know I could do it."

What happens to the bullpen?

The Padres presumably wouldn’t move Martinez until they have a viable alternative for that set-up role. Namely, Suarez.

Good news there: Suarez is scheduled to face hitters for the first time on Tuesday at the team's Spring Training complex. From there, he's facing a rehab stint before returning from the elbow inflammation that has sidelined him for three months.

When Suarez returns, the Padres can fully assess the state of their pitching staff. It's worth noting that Martinez has posted better numbers in relief than in the rotation, and if the Padres were to keep Martinez in the 'pen, that’s a formidable back-end duo ahead of Josh Hader.

Then again, the Padres could also trade for relief help if Martinez moved to the rotation -- likely at a lower price than starting pitching.

Long-term rotation health is paramount

For now, the prognosis on Wacha (shoulder fatigue) is positive. He played catch Saturday and is expected to make his next start.

But Wacha has endured his share of injury trouble in the past. Lugo has never reached 102 innings in any big league season. Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell and Yu Darvish round out a rotation of five pitchers age 30 or older.

It’s a risky proposition to assume the health of that group through the end of the season. Plus, San Diego has often had success employing a six-man rotation, giving those pitchers extra rest between starts. Right now the Padres don't really have that option -- because they don't really have that sixth starter.

The decision is market-based

The Padres, of course, aren’t the only contender taking stock of the available starting-pitching options.

In reality, it probably comes down to acquisition cost. If the price for a back-end starter is too high, the Padres have internal options. If the price is palatable, they've got room to add.

For the time being, the Padres' hand won't be forced. But they learned the value of pitching depth the hard way in 2021 when a handful of their starters went down to injury after the Deadline.

As such, it’s at least worth exploring the trade market over the next five weeks.