The Cleveland Guardians may look to cut ties with their star outfielder, Steven Kwan, ahead of the trade deadline, and the San Diego Padres are the perfect fit.

On the other, it's clear that San Diego is a cut below the NL's best right now, 3.5 games back of the hated Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. With Dylan Cease, Michael King and more key players set to hit free agency this winter,

The Boston Red Sox are considering trading Jarren Duran away, with the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies waiting in the wings.

While the Padres have the best combined bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.15, the idea of any of those teams plucking Duran (or Jax) should compel them into a pursuit. San Diego has largely succeeded so far because of that bullpen, and allowing competitors to narrow the gap does not bode well for their October hopes.

The San Diego Padres could take a different approach at the trade deadline, Yu Darvish speaks about retirement and the Friars plan to bring back a starter for Tuesday.

There’s no telling yet whether these Padres have a second-half surge in them like the run they made a season ago. But through 100 games, they are, in some ways, ahead of schedule. With their 2-1 victory at loanDepot park on Monday night,

Through 100 games, Duran has 104 hits, 53 runs scored, 25 doubles, an AL-leading ten triples, eight home runs, 50 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 106 strikeouts. He's batting .257 with a .749 OPS and 107 OPS+.