The Padres may look to move relievers as we approach the trade deadline.
Padres' relievers Huston Street and Joaquin Benoit are receiving strong interest on the trade market, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman opines that the pair of Padres may be the top relievers on a trade market that has been slow to develop and may eventually include Jonathan Papelbon (Phillies) and Joakim Soria (Rangers).
According to Heyman, the list of teams looking for bullpen help at the deadline will probably include the Angels, Tigers, Blue Jays, Orioles, Marlins and Brewers. Each team is currently in contention but has seen some struggles in its bullpen, meaning that a late-inning reliever like Street or Benoit could be very valuable for the season's stretch run.
Street, who turns 31 in August, has been excellent for the Padres this season, pitching to a 0.96 ERA while notching 20 saves in 24 appearances. He is under team control through next season through the use of a $7M team option, meaning that a team looking to acquire him could use him for the remainder of this season and elect to bring him back as their closer or setup man next year.
Benoit, who signed a two-year deal with the Padres over the winter that includes a team option for a third, has posted an excellent 1.42 ERA in 31 appearances and would also be attractive to teams on the trade market. Teams may be scared off by his playoff struggles over the last two seasons, so at this point Street seems like the more attractive candidate.
In addition to Street and Benoit, the Padres could potentially move Troy Patton, Alex Torres and Dale Thayer as they sell before July 31. Their outfielders are also reportedly available, with Carlos Quentin, Seth Smith, Chris Denorfia and Will Venable among the names that have been mentioned in trade rumors over the last couple of weeks.