San Diego Padres reportedly in blockbuster trade talks for coveted MLB star

San Diego Padres rumors in the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline pointed to pitching as one of the club’s biggest needs. Now just hours out from Tuesday’s deadline at 6:00 PM EDT, San Diego is turning its focus towards a second big trade.

The Padres have been better than expected this season, staying in playoff contention after trading Juan Soto to the New York Yankees during the offseason. Sitting in a relatively favorable spot in the MLB standings , San Diego has its sights set on one of the top arms available.

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• San Diego Padres rotation stats: 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .237 batting average allowed, 16.2% K-BB rate

The Padres rotation used to be a strength of the team, but not so much this year. Fortunately, there have been signs of a turnaround in recent months. Entering MLB games today , San Diego boasts the sixth-lowest rotation ERA (3.83) since June 1. There’s more room for improvement, which is fueling San Diego’s approach.

According to Dennis Lin and Chad Jennings of The Athletic , the Padres are in talks with the Detroit Tigers about a trade for front-line starter Jack Flaherty ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

• Jack Flaherty stats ( FanGraphs ): 2.95 ERA, 11.22 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 32% K-rate, 27.5% K-BB rate, 0.96 WHIP, .211 batting average allowed in 106.2 innings pitched

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Flaherty, age 28, would only be a half-season rental for San Diego. The benefit of that is that his expiring contract slightly pushes down the potential return Detroit can receive. Of course, Flaherty’s success on the mound this season is still driving his trade value up significantly.

Complicating matters is the fact that many of the Padres top prospects were either traded this offseason (Dylan Cease) or as part of the recent trade for Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jason Adam. Plus, competition from clubs like the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees means San Diego would need to come out on top of a bidding war for Flaherty.

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