Report: Padres willing to trade 2 notable players

Jun 6, 2019; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on from the dugout before the game against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres may be clearing some cooks out of their kitchen.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported this week that the Padres are open to discussing trade offers for both outfielder Trent Grisham and infielder Ha-Seong Kim. The former is signed through 2025 while the latter is signed through 2026.

Though both players were starters during San Diego’s NLCS run last season, the Padres now have a surplus of talent to work with. They brought in star shortstop Xander Bogaerts on a monster deal this offseason, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is eligible to return for suspension in April (though he is almost a total wild card at this point). Ex-All-Star Matt Carpenter also just arrived in free agency and should command additional at-bats.

Grisham, a Gold Glover who hit 17 homers last season, and Kim, a versatile leadoff man, may each be able to fetch decent returns in a trade. Shedding either or both of them could help the Padres better deal with some of their more pressing future roster matters too.