The Padres Just Lost 23-3. Here Is Why They Should Sell Now.

The San Diego Padres got absolutely humiliated on Wednesday. A 23-3 loss to the Cubs in Chicago. That is the worst defeat in franchise history. And it didn’t come out of nowhere.

This team was ten games over .500 not that long ago. Now they sit at 43-42 and have dropped five straight. They head to Los Angeles on Thursday for four games against the Dodgers. It could get uglier before it gets better.

General manager A.J. Preller has never been afraid to trade prospects for stars. He has made that his whole thing. But this year feels different. The Padres are not one piece away. They are multiple pieces away. And buying would probably just make the hole deeper.

Here is why the Padres should pivot and sell at the deadline.

The farm system is thin and getting thinner

San Diego has traded away so many top prospects over the last few years. The roster has names, sure. But the depth behind those names is not what it used to be. You can only cash in your chips so many times before the well runs dry.

The offense is a mess right now. Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr., Ty France, and Samad Taylor, nobody is getting on base consistently. France and Miguel Andujar have been bright spots on one-year deals. They are exactly the kind of veterans contenders want at the deadline.

Gavin Sheets has one more year left on his deal and has proven he can hit home runs in big spots. He plays first and left field. There will be interest.

If Preller can turn those expiring contracts into young talent, he should do it. The Padres need to restock. The old approach of trading everyone for a short window has not gotten them over the hump.

Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are struggling

That is the kind of sentence you do not expect to write about a team with a $200 million payroll. But it is true. Machado, Bogaerts, and Jackson Merrill have all been below their usual standards. Tatis has carried this offense. Nobody else has stepped up consistently.

The starting rotation is bad too. That forces the bullpen to be perfect every night, and that is not realistic. Mason Miller is the best reliever in baseball right now. But if the Padres cannot get him leads, his value is wasted. Do not be surprised if rumors about Miller start popping up. A team that sells would listen on just about everyone.

This is not a roster built to compete for a World Series. The numbers do not lie. Bottom-five offense. Inconsistent pitching. A blown-up farm system.

Preller does not give up easily. That is part of what makes him good at his job. But sometimes the smart move is to take a step back. Restock for 2027. Get younger. Give the fans something to look forward to instead of watching a team that keeps losing 23-3.