Where will Padres go from here at Deadline?

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres entered the All-Star break riding three straight victories over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. At the time, anything seemed possible ahead of the Trade Deadline. There was a distinct possibility that -- for the first time in nine years -- San Diego might actually be a buyer.

Since then, the Padres have played five series and they’ve lost all five, culminating with Sunday’s 7-6 defeat to the Giants at Petco Park. A host of San Diego relievers were called upon for a bullpen day. Those relievers couldn’t capitalize on a monstrous three-run home run from Hunter Renfroe and a two-run shot from Wil Myers in the ninth.

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“It’s frustrating for every guy in that clubhouse,” said Padres manager Andy Green. “There’s a lot of effort being put in right now. We’re going through a stretch where a number of series in a row haven’t gone our way.”

The Padres enter Deadline week a season-low-tying seven games below .500. They certainly won’t be buyers in a traditional sense, as the past few weeks have dropped them out of the National League Wild Card picture.

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But with an eye on 2020, they could still add big league pieces. Or they could sell them. But this much is certain: Even with their recent struggles, the Padres are a team to watch in the hours leading up until 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday.

These three questions have already come to define their Trade Deadline:

1. What’s the status of the Padres’ starting-pitching pursuit?

The Mets landed right-hander Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays on Sunday, which led many to speculate that the Padres might be moving closer to a deal for Noah Syndergaard. That isn’t the case -- at least not yet.

According to sources, Sunday’s Stroman trade isn’t related to any imminent trade between the Padres and Mets. San Diego feels it has enough young trade pieces to land Syndergaard. But it’s unclear whether general manager A.J. Preller will be willing to meet the Mets’ asking price.

Still, Syndergaard fits the Padres’ plans perfectly. They’d like to add a front-line starting pitcher with multiple years of team control, and the hard-throwing Mets righty is under contract through 2021. Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd, under contract through ‘22, is another candidate.

In the next three days, the Padres must weigh the cost of controllable starters against the possibility that they add during the offseason instead. With one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, San Diego could easily make a splash on the starting-pitching market this week. But with 2020 as the primary focus, the Padres also aren’t desperate to do so.

2. What do they do with Yates?

This much is clear: Kirby Yates wants to be a Padre.

“I don’t want to go somewhere and start over,” Yates said Sunday. “I love it here. I don’t want to learn new names. I’ve done that enough. It’s not just my teammates. It’s the people that work in the parking lots, the door guys.

“When you move places, you start all over again. I’ve been here long enough where I have a lot of great relationships with people, and that’s a thing that I really value.”

The feeling is mutual. Yates is one of the most well-respected Padres in the clubhouse. But it’s impossible to ignore his value as a trade chip. Yates might be the best relief piece available on the market. He’s been arguably the top closer in the sport this season, with a 1.02 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 44 innings.

Yates is 32, and he’s only under team control through 2020. His trade value will never be higher than it is right now. Preller has surely set a lofty asking price for his closer. But it stands to reason that Yates would be worth more to a contender this season than to the Padres. (In theory, they’d only have him on board for one playoff run.)

In the meantime, Yates has managed to tune out the noise. He hasn’t allowed an earned run this month, while striking out 16 in 8 2/3 innings.

“It’s not in my control, so there’s no point in worrying about it or thinking about it,” Yates said. “It’s not like trying to plan if I go or where I’ll go helps. So it’s just not worth focusing on.”

3. Is this the right time to trade an outfielder?

With his 444-foot moonshot off Madison Bumgarner, Renfroe moved into a tie for 10th place on the Padres’ all-time home run list. In his postgame media session, he learned of the achievement.

“Didn’t know that, but that’s a pretty cool accomplishment,” Renfroe said. “Obviously, I hope I crack the No. 1 spot eventually. I hope to stay here and have many memories.”

Again, that isn’t his choice. The Padres are overflowing with long-term outfield pieces -- particularly in the corners -- and it remains a distinct possibility that they move one this week.

To recap, these are the outfield pieces currently vying for a place in the Padres’ long-term plans: Renfroe, Franmil Reyes, Myers, Manuel Margot, Josh Naylor, Travis Jankowski and Franchy Cordero.

Among that group, Renfroe and Reyes have established themselves as the most reliable options. But their righty-power profiles might be a bit redundant. Either one could fetch a significant trade haul, and the Padres would still have a wealth of options for the other corner-outfield spot.

“I try not to think about it too much, and just try to let my athletic ability play on the field,” Renfroe said. “... I’m just focusing on every day here, growing as a player, growing as a team and trying to win ballgames.”

The Padres haven’t been doing much of that lately. And their recent skid has colored their Deadline options in an interesting light.