Padres rumors: San Diego is shopping Tyson Ross and Matt Kemp

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Padres are "actively shopping outfielder Matt Kemp and budding ace Tyson Ross." After acquiring four prospects in return for Craig Kimbrel, A.J. Preller is clearly trying to rebuild the farm system he depleted after his first offseason as GM of the Padres.

While Ross should be relatively easy to trade, Kemp will be more challenging, which could mean the players are attached in trade negotiations.

"Is it possible that Preller could pull off the first Kimbrel trade in reverse, attaching Kemp to Ross the way the Braves attached Melvin Upton Jr. to Kimbrel?

Such a move would lessen the return on Ross at a time when the Padres badly need to replenish their system."

Preller will ultimately need to decide what's more important to the success of the franchise: getting rid of Kemp's salary or restocking the farm. On his own, Ross would bring back quite the haul of prospects, as he's been a great pitcher over the last two seasons, and is under team control through 2017.

It's also possible that Preller will try to deal both players separately, and absorb some of Kemp's contract to make him more attractive. He's owed $73 million (this figure includes the money paid by the Dodgers) over the next four years, but could likely still help a team like the Orioles, Twins, or Rangers.

As of now, there's no indication that a trade is close, or if the Padres are engaged with any one team for either player. Even so, it seems incredibly likely that Ross will be traded this offseason, as Preller needs to capitalize on his value while he still can.