A.J. Preller isn’t one to shy away from blockbuster moves, and the Padres’ president of baseball operations has his sights set on fixing what’s become a glaring problem.
The offense needs help. Badly.
San Diego’s sitting dead last in the majors with a .657 OPS, which tells you everything about how this season’s gone offensively. When your big three – Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merrill – have combined for just 23 home runs, you’ve got issues.
That’s why the Padres are tied for 21st in homers with just 78. For a team with championship aspirations, that’s not going to cut it.
“Just remember, it was only a few years ago when he was debating trading for Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani (he eventually got Soto),” FanSided’s Robert Murray wrote about Preller. “I’m not positive he takes that big of a swing this year unless he can ensure he keeps prized prospect Ethan Salas. But then again, it’s Preller.”
That’s the thing about Preller – you never really know what he’s cooking up.
Angels’ Jo Adell Could Provide Pop
Murray’s floated Jo Adell as a potential fit, and it makes sense on paper. The Angels outfielder just hit a career-high 37 homers this season, which would actually rank third among current Padres hitters.
Los Angeles is clearly in rebuild mode, so they’re listening on pretty much everyone. Adell wouldn’t cost nearly as much as someone like Byron Buxton, though that extra year of control might mean sending an additional prospect to Anaheim.
Here’s the reality: Adell isn’t going to single-handedly fix San Diego’s offensive woes. But he’d give them a legitimate power threat in the middle of the order, especially against left-handed pitching.
The question is whether Preller’s willing to make a move that’s more about plugging holes than swinging for the fences. Given his track record, that might be the most interesting part of this whole situation.
