Padres News: San Diego Eyes All-Star Pitcher for Trade Deadline Boost

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The San Diego Padres are eyeing All-Star pitcher Luis Severino as a potential trade target with the MLB trade deadline approaching in five weeks, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

"The Padres are pot committed, and they're a starter -- OK, maybe two -- away from taking control of one of the NL wild-card slots," Passan said. "Severino fits almost all of their needs. He's been very good with a 3.29 ERA over 90.1 innings in 15 starts for the Mets. His slider is a true out pitch, elite in shape and outcome. And with San Diego's budgetary concerns, he would be coming from an organization that just last year was willing to eat tens of millions of dollars when the Mets traded starters Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer."

"With Yu Darvish suffering a setback in his attempt to return from the injured list, Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Matt Waldron are the only three reliable starters in San Diego's rotation," he continued. "Getting Severino would strengthen the Padres' starting group and allow general manager A.J. Preller to hold on to his top hitting prospects, catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leo Devries, who are the sort of return Chicago would seek if Preller went whale hunting and tried to land Crochet."

The Padres' front office, led by General Manager A.J. Preller, is keen to avoid trading top hitting prospects like catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leo Devries, making Severino an attractive option.

However, the Mets are also in the wild-card race, just 1.5 games behind the Padres, which could influence their decision to trade Severino. The situation remains fluid, and the Padres will need to monitor the playoff landscape closely as the deadline approaches.