Padres Daily: Not the usual loss; Pivetta doesn’t back off; nothing to show (Kevin Acee, SD U-T) In muddy Padres rotation picture, Michael King appears to be on his way back (Kevin Acee, SD U-T) Sloppy Padres drop fourth straight in shutout loss to Cardinals (Kevin Acee, SD U-T)

A year later, the Padres find themselves in slightly better standing. They are 55-49, one game ahead of their 54-50 record last July 24. They are also entering dangerous territory. The wins and losses tell a story of year-over-year improvement. The recent trend lines do not.

Padres’ 3-0 loss to Cardinals is a rarity in many ways; Nick Pivetta has thoughts on Willson Contreras and baseball having gone ‘soft’

The lack of consistent offense and occasional defensive lapses has pushed the Padres to explore external solutions. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, San Diego has expressed interest in trio of outfielders: Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox and Ramón Laureano of the Baltimore Orioles.

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Both in possession of something the other wants, the Padres and Red Sox continue their dance ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as MLB Mock Trade: Chicago Cubs Rent Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres Land Their Catcher of the Future. It's questionalbe when a team deals for a pitcher with a mid-season winning percentage of .230.

The San Diego Padres started their current road trip versus the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals with a lead over the San Francisco Giants and Cardinals in the Wild Card race. In fact, on July 21 they were 3.5 games up on the Giants, Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.