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The San Diego Padres are going to be sellers this summer, and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that they are aggressively telling teams that outfielders Chris Denorfia, Will Venable and Seth Smith are available. In addition, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes that Carlos Quentin is willing to waive his no-trade clause this summer, meaning he is a trade candidate as well.
The team has signaled that they will hold onto centerfielder Cameron Maybin, but that anyone else in their outfield is up for grabs. With teams like the Red Sox, Rangers, Royals and Mets potentially looking for outfield help over the next few weeks, it is expected that the Padres move some pieces as part of a rebuilding effort.
Denorfia, who is hitting .253 on the season, has consistently drawn trade interest from teams like the Rangers, Red Sox and Rockies in the past. He should command lots of interest as a versatile right-handed hitter before the trade deadline, and will become a free agent after the season.
Smith, who was acquired from the Athletics last winter, is hitting .280 with 6 HR and 21 RBI on the season. He is also a free agent after the year, and is expected to draw interest from teams looking for an outfielder with some pop.
Venable may be a tougher sell, as he is hitting only .205 on the season and is not a free agent until after next year. The Braves have been linked to him in the past, and he could be moved if a contender is looking for a complementary piece.
Quentin, who turns 32 in August, may be the hardest to move of all of San Diego's outfielders due to his lack of performance and required financial commitment. The former All-Star has hit only .192 with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 27 games this season, and will have to show some offensive improvement for teams to show serious interest in him at the deadline. He is owed $9.5M for this season and $8M for next year before a $10M mutual option is available for 2016, so teams who acquire him would likely ask that the Padres pick up some of the tab moving forward. With a large salary and question marks surrounding his abilities, Quentin seems like a great August waiver-wire trade candidate.
In addition to their outfielders, the Padres could shop pitchers Ian Kennedy and Huston Street within the next few weeks. It will be interesting to see how committed they are to a rebuilding process now that they are 12.5 games out in the NL West.