The Padres are making themselves part of the Mlb Trades Today conversation. According to Joel Sherman, San Diego has checked in on Kodai Senga, while A.J. Preller has at least considered Rafael Devers as the deadline approaches.
The timing matters. On August 2, 2026, the Padres beat the Giants 5-4 and moved within one game of the final NL wild card berth, putting them in position to act like buyers. They have now won eight of its last nine games, and that kind of surge can change how a front office approaches the final stretch before the deadline.
Why Kodai Senga is the more realistic possibility
Senga is the cleaner fit if San Diego is looking for a change-of-scenery type of move. He comes with remaining salary obligations in 2026 and 2027, but he is not carrying the same long-term weight as Devers. That makes him easier to discuss in a deadline market, especially for a team trying to improve quickly without completely reshaping its future payroll.
Joel Sherman described the Padres as being more in the investigating and inquiring mode, which fits the way teams often operate this time of year. San Diego can assess the market, check on available pitchers, and see whether a deal can line up with its current race.
Why Rafael Devers is different
Devers is a more complicated target. The Giants' June openness to creating long-term payroll space by moving one or more of Devers, Matt Chapman, or Willy Adames created the backdrop for this possibility, but the money remains a major factor. Devers is tied to a $220MM contract through 2033, with $52.5MM still attached over the five-year period noted in the reporting.
That does not make him impossible to trade, but it does make him a very different type of target than Senga. Devers is not being framed as an obvious trade chip. Instead, he is a high-profile, expensive option that Preller has at least considered while San Diego evaluates how aggressive it wants to be.
The Padres have already shown they are close enough to the race to justify exploring options. Whether that leads to a pitching upgrade like Senga or a far bigger swing like Devers, the next few days should tell the story of how seriously San Diego plans to push before the deadline.
