3 early-season trades Padres could make to boost playoff chances

The San Diego Padres have largely hovered around .500 this season. At the time of writing, they were 22–23, and that follows the trend of the entire season. They have so far been unable to get hot, despite having some really good players on their roster.

They are one team that has already made a trade this regular season, but it hasn't quite turned their season around. If they want to reverse the mediocrity trend they've seen so far, the Padres may want to consider trading once more. Here are a few players they might target.

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Trades the Padres might be interested in

3) Joey Bart

Could Joey Bart be traded to the Padres?

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't been good, and Joey Bart is a prime trade candidate with several other useful catchers in town. The Padres need a good backup catcher, as Kyle Higashioka has been worth -0.3 fWAR so far.

That's one position that desperately needs shoring up, and a change of scenery could well help Bart tap into his potential and make the catching room in San Diego a lot deeper.

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2) Michael Kopech

Michael Kopech could be on the move

San Diego Padres pitching needs help, and they could target another Chicago White Sox player. They already added Dylan Cease, and they could continue to look at the White Sox for other reinforcements in the form of Michael Kopech (and possibly others).

He's young and has good stuff, so the upside is there. Putting him with Cease again and with Yu Darvish might bring out the best in him.

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1) Luis Robert Jr.

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Chicago White Sox

The Padres, with their trades for Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease, have shown that they're interested in young players. That is exactly what Luis Robert Jr. is. The Chicago White Sox have him under team control through next season, and he's one of the league's best outfielders.

That makes him a good fit for a team without a ton of natural outfielders and a roster full of locked-down players. It would cost a haul, but it's one trade that is right up the alley of San Diego.