The San Diego Padres are firmly in the National League playoff picture as August is looming closer. With just one day until the Major League Baseball trade deadline, they are expected to be active.
The Padres have a well-rounded roster top to bottom, but their one fatal flaw appears to be in left field, where they have struggled to find offensive production and have even begun calling up players from Triple-A to address the issue. President of baseball operations AJ Preller is certainly aware of the Padres’ needs, and he is one to make big splashes right before the July 31st deadline.
In a new report, the Los Angeles Angels are suddenly receiving a lot of calls on a pair of their outfielders, and the Padres should certainly jump on the opportunity to grab one of them.
Taylor Ward Could Be on the Move
Taylor Ward has played a good amount of left field for the Los Angeles Angels this season, and Ken Rosenthal reports that both he and Jo Adell are garnering “significant interest.”
Ward has sneakily been one of the best power bats in all of baseball this season. He has 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .491. Despite a low average of .229, Ward has been an above-average hitter this season, and would certainly be an immense upgrade to the San Diego Padres outfield that currently has Bryce Johnson out in left.
Steve Adams of MLBtraderumors.com was also on the news of Ward and Adell’s trade interest:
“As for the 31-year-old Ward, he’s the more established and more expensive option of the two. He’s controlled one less year, through the end of the 2026 season, and is earning $7.825MM in 2025. Another former first-rounder (No. 25 in 2015), Ward has been a steadily productive corner outfield bat since his 2022 breakout. He’s batting .232/.308/.491 on the season (117 wRC+) but, like Adell, has really turned things on after a sluggish start. Ward hit just .172/.215/.352 through his first 130 plate appearances. His turnaround coincides almost perfectly with that of Adell. In Ward’s past 324 plate appearances (dating back to May 4), he’s broken out with a .258/.346/.552 batting line (144 wRC+).”
For a guy like Ward, who has the power potential to hit 25+ home runs, $7.825 million is a relatively good price, and his defensive ability isn’t too bad either. San Diego could also consider rotating him into the DH position and having Gavin Sheets also play left field.
Ward’s Trade Potential Hinges on Angels’ Playoff Chances
The Los Angeles Angels are a mere 4.5 games back of an American League Wild Card spot, so Ward’s chances of being traded hinge on whether or not the front office has enough to make a run. However, the Angels desperately need pitching and already have a young core of position players. Ward has certainly been one of the Halos’ most productive hitters this season, but how much pitching capital could they get in return for him? And would they be wasting the opportunity to trade him now if they do go for the playoff berth and end up coming short?
Either way, there’s no way the San Diego Padres haven’t come calling on Ward, considering their biggest need is a left fielder, and Ward is by far the most productive left field bat on the market.
Padres Trade Idea Lands Angels’ 25 Home Run Slugger