The San Diego Padres will be a team to keep a close eye on between now and the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
It seems like the Padres get more opportunistic every year, and in 2024, they have a fairly obvious hole. The corner outfield was already looking like a concern, and San Diego is now without left fielder Jason Heyward indefinitely due to a strained oblique.
In the time since the loss of Heyward, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres are on the lookout for a left fielder on the trade market. And knowing general manager A.J. Preller, that search will probably be an aggressive one.
Could the Padres wind up with one of the biggest names among outfield trade candidates? That’s what one baseball analyst believes.
In a recent YouTube video, Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports predicted that the Padres would acquire Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., a 2023 All-Star and Silver Slugger who is slumping mightily in the final season of his $50 million arbitration extension.
“You put Luis Robert in a clubhouse led by Mike Shildt, you’ve got the veteran leaders there, I think you can get this guy back on track,” Riley said.
“With a team that is playing well, having fun, focused, put Luis Robert in that environment. Do you repair, do you fix Luis Robert with all of those elements? I think that’s your best shot.”
Robert, 27, is just two years removed from a 38-homer campaign with an OPS of .857. But that OPS figure dipped 200 points last season, and in 2025, despite a major league-leading 21 stolen bases, his value could be at an all-time low.
Through 50 games, Robert is slashing .191/.277/.309, good for just 0.4 bWAR. After well above average offensive numbers from 2021 to 2023, it’s been utterly perplexing to see him fall off this hard.
Because he’s a rental (with two $20 million club options that seem like a pipe dream to be exercised), Robert might not cost the Padres all that much to acquire. But they should only do so if they truly believe there’s more in the tank.
