Hey. Maybe if you focused a little more on the GAME instead of SCOUTING CUBS players, you would’ve won!
I am kidding, of course, but the Padres might not be:
My thoughts: no.
OK, I guess I can say more.
Each of Stroman and Gomes make sense for the Padres, as they would for virtually any contender with holes in the rotation or behind the plate. Their contracts are affordably short term (Stroman can and will opt out after this season, Gomes comes with a team option for 2024). Their performances this year have been quite strong. Their track records of doing what they do are long. Why wouldn’t the Padres give them a look?
That said, we know that the trade season picture is still incredible murky. The Padres, a half-game better than the Cubs, are currently 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and 7.5 games out in the NL West, where they trail three other teams. I don’t foresee a realistic scenario where the Padres SELL at the deadline, but how aggressively will they buy? It’s nice to dream on a Stroman/Gomes combo when you’re facing the Cubs in early June, but when that rubber meets the road, the price tag could be considerable.
Which is to say nothing of the main “no” here: I don’t want the Cubs to wind up in a position to trade away Stroman or Gomes! We know that Stroman is headed to free agency, realistically, but he has also loudly expressed a desire to stay with the Cubs. It would be nice to at least have an extension/new deal available as a possibility in September/October, before free agency actually arrives. And as for Gomes, as we sit here today, that $6 million club option for 2024 (with a $1 million buyout, so it’s only a $5 million decision) looks like a no-brainer, even as Gomes approaches 36.
Don’t ever rule A.J. Preller and the Padres out from doing something so crazy as to make a seemingly impossible trade happen, but for now, this seems unlikely. I hope it still seems unlikely in late July.