The MLB trade deadline is on July 31 and the San Diego Padres remain linked to Tampa Bay Rays' starting pitcher Chris Archer. Should the team make a move for the pitcher, or should they stay put with their assets?
The Padres are having yet another down season, but the team is poised to make some noise in the upcoming seasons with the best minor league system in the entire league. San Diego has an opportunity to cash in on a potential front-of-the-rotation arm in Tampa Bay Rays' pitcher Chris Archer at the trade deadline on July 31, but he won't come too cheap.
The front office for the Padres have said that they will not deal either of their top-two prospects, Fernando Tatis Jr. and MacKenzie Gore, in exchange for Archer's talents.
Giving up any of their top-10 prospects for Archer would not be the most ideal either, as he will be 30-years-old in September and may be past his prime by the time the Padres are prepped to make a run at the playoffs in a couple seasons.
The front office seems to be contradicting themselves with their approach to get the team to a competitive state. They make moves for players that are in their primes now, and pay them top-dollar, but then they're still in a tanking mindset at the same time. Currently, the Padres have the fourth worst record in the MLB, so they are in line to land yet another top prospect in the next MLB Draft.
The team needs to decide whether to cash in on established talent in exchange for the farm system, or to just play the patient game for a couple more years and then be ready to roll with 10 top prospects in their arsenal. The in-between game will just keep them swimming in circles.