NEW YORK -- The Padres have spent the better part of two seasons searching for controllable frontline starting pitching. Ahead of next week's July 31 Trade Deadline, very little has changed on that front.
One important factor has changed, however: the calendar. Suddenly, there's a Deadline looming next week. If the Padres are going to bolster their starting rotation (for the short- and long-term), they need to do so over the next eight days -- or they'll be forced to wait until at least November, with this being the first season in which there will be no August trades.
As MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on Monday, the Padres are indeed trying to be aggressive in their pursuit of starting pitching. Sources said discussions have picked up over the past week, as the Padres search for a starter with control through at least 2020 and preferably longer.
One source clarified there's "no urgency" to add pitching. But it's a priority, so long as the club isn't sacrificing too much internally.
On Tuesday, manager Andy Green was asked what kind of impact a frontline starter might make on his Major League-youngest rotation.
"It makes sense to run down that road -- that that's a way to bring guys along," Green said. "But we're going to get there, whether we go get that top-of-the-rotation guy or not. We have a lot of guys we believe in."
Green, by all indications, was basically echoing the philosophy of general manager A.J. Preller. Sure, the Padres would love to add a frontline starter ahead of the July 31 Deadline. But they feel as though they're poised for long-term success in the rotation regardless.
Coincidentally, the Padres are slated to face one of the handful of frontline starters they've been rumored to have interest in on Wednesday night. Noah Syndergaard has long been bandied as one of San Diego's trade targets. Matthew Boyd, Marcus Stroman and Trevor Bauer also fit the bill as controllable rotation pieces who have been linked to San Diego.
That said, the Padres entered play Tuesday sitting five games back in the National League Wild Card picture. Sources familiar with the team's thinking said the larger goal is to bolster the 2020 staff, and any help they get for ‘19 is an added bonus. One-year rentals aren't being discussed.
The entire Padres rotation returns for 2020. In fact, they don't have an active starter eligible to hit free agency until Dinelson Lamet after the '23 season. By then, top pitching prospects MacKenzie Gore, Luis Patino and Ryan Weathers will have arrived. (It’s worth noting, of course, that Garrett Richards, who might return from Tommy John surgery in September, will be a free agent after '20.)
In any case, the Padres’ long-term stability puts them in an enviable position ahead of next week's Trade Deadline. They can say "no" to any trade proposals next week and still be primed to make a push in the offseason. The value of those starters will be lower then, because they'd be available for one fewer pennant race.
As things stand, the Padres could open next season with a rotation featuring Chris Paddack, Richards, Joey Lucchesi, Lamet and Eric Lauer. Gore could work his way into that mix, too. Plus, rookies Adrian Morejon, Michel Baez, Cal Quantrill and Logan Allen provide some solid piggyback/opener options.
"We're excited about the group of guys that we have here, because we probably have eight, nine guys we're comfortable starting Major League games with," Green said.
The Padres don't mind proceeding with that bunch. But would that young group be better with an established ace at the front?
"Yeah, you could make that argument," Green said. "It makes a ton of sense. Or you could just look at the overall talent and be like: We're going to figure it out with this group. I don't think we're desperate to do anything. But A.J.'s always been very opportunistic."
Maybe Preller holds onto his current group of rotation options. Maybe he opts to use one or two of them in a package for an ace-type starter.
But this much is clear: The Padres feel their rotation is poised for success either way.