Padres don’t sell at trade deadline, reportedly because AJ Preller still believes in team

Many were wondering whether the San Diego Padres would deal many of their desirable assets at the trade deadline, but they decided to stand firm and not become sellers. A big reason for that reportedly is because GM A.J. Preller still believes the team can make the playoffs.

#Padres largely standing pat because GM A.J. Preller believes the team can reach the postseason, source says.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2015

The Padres are four games under .500 but have gone 8-4 since the start of the second half of the season. They also have a favorable schedule for the next few weeks; they have series against the Marlins, Brewers, Phillies, Reds, Rockies and Braves — all teams with losing records. Preller may believe that his team is coming together and finally starting to play the way he envisioned they would when he assembled the group over the offseason. Does it hurt to give them another few months to see what they can do?

It also sounds like they did entertain trade offers but decided not to sell:

Big deals Padres were working on fell through, sources say. Lots of talk with lots of teams, didn't like returns. Acquired LHP reliever late

— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) July 31, 2015

They held onto Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton, and lesser players like Joakim Benoit, Will Venable and Ian Kennedy. It’s not like they completely missed their opportunities to get returns on players, though. They can still get a draft pick as compensation for Upton, and they can still trade players after the season if they choose to.

The chance of the Padres making the postseason may be small — they would have to play around .667 ball the rest of the year to have a chance of making it — but these next few months should serve as a valuable evaluation period for the team. It’s completely understandable why Preller would be reluctant to blow up a project he obviously believed in heavily without giving them a full season to show what they can do.

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