SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have pitching. The rest of the Majors needs pitching. It should be a busy final few hours for the San Diego front office ahead of Tuesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Over the past few days, contending clubs have inquired about relievers Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates and starter Tyson Ross, sources said. As of Monday afternoon, no deal was imminent. But it sounds like the club expects things to pick up as the clock ticks toward 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday afternoon.
Ross is the only pitcher of the three whose contract expires at the end of the season. He owns a 4.41 ERA in 21 starts this year. The starting-pitching market is thin, but it still seems doubtful that the Padres would get much in a deal for Ross straight up. It's more likely he's packaged with one of their back-end relievers.
Yates has been excellent this season and is under team control through 2020. Entering play Monday, he owns a 1.60 ERA in 41 appearances. He's served as the Padres closer since the deal that sent Brad Hand to Cleveland earlier this month.
As for Stammen, he's on a team-friendly contract through the 2019 season. He's posted a 2.63 ERA in 46 games and has served in a number of roles -- including multiple innings and late-inning fireman with runners on base. It's easy to see how he'd fit in a contending bullpen.
"It's natural to think of the future and what might happen and all that," Stammen said. "But in the end, I have no control over any of it. So I focus every single day on what I can do to help the San Diego Padres win."
Yates echoed that sentiment.
"The less I know, the better," Yates said. "I don't control any of it. I'm not really eager to get it over with. Maybe my wife is. But I'm just not focused on any of that."
Yates, Stammen and Ross -- the Padres' three most prominent trade chips -- will know their fates by 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday.