San Diego Padres Rumors: Club reportedly involved in 'trade discussions' regarding outfieldersÂ
The San Diego Padres are still reportedly seeking outside help before Opening Day. The organization is coming off an offseason where they traded away their star outfielder, Juan Soto, to the New York Yankees.
Trent Grisham was another piece in the trade headed to the Bronx alongside Soto. This leaves them with quite the hole to fill in the outfield, and Spring Training is right around the corner.
According to MLB insider Robert Murray, San Diego has reached out to the Boston Red Sox about a potential trade involving outfielder Jarren Duran. However, they are not the only team interested.
Acquiring Duran would be a great addition to the Padres. He is incredibly fast and is coming off a season where he hit .295/.346/.482, which were all career highs for the young slugger.
Currently, San Diego has one established MLB outfielder, Fernando Tatis Jr. Other players who could win an outfield spot if the team does not make another move include Oscar Mercado, Bryce Johnson and Cal Mitchell. The club has even thrown around the idea of deploying shortstop prospect Jackson Merrill in the outfield.
San Diego Padres are actively searching the free agent market
The San Diego Padres are searching high and low for help ahead of the new season. On top of the interest in Jarren Duran, they have not ruled out a reunion with Tommy Pham either.
Pham is coming off a season split with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in 129 games, hitting .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs.
Pham was with San Diego during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Pham is still an above-average outfielder who could be a great addition to a club looking to put a miserable 2023 season to bed.
The outfield is not the only area in need of some help. The starting rotation could also use a boost, and the front office has explored the free agent market for some arms. Potential suitors include Michael Lorenzen, Eric Lauer and Hyun Jin Ryu, per The New York Post's Jon Heyman.
One player the team has checked in on recently is Michael Wacha, who is one of the top free agent starting pitchers left on the market. His addition could help lessen the sting if Blake Snell signs somewhere else in free agency.