A year ago at this time, Padres general manager Josh Byrnes was asked a few hundred times if he was going to trade away 3rd baseman Chase Headley because the team wasn't in playoff contention.
Then, when the trade deadline passed, he was asked a few hundred more times why he didn't trade Headley.
In 2013, things are much different. This time Byrnes is being asked ad nauseum if he's going to trade for any players because the Padres are squarely in playoff contention.
It's possible, after the trade deadline passes at the end of July, that he'll be asked a few hundred times why he didn't trade for anyone.
But it might be a good idea to add a piece or two, especially in the pitching staff. The Padres have had a few injuries in the rotation, so bringing in a starter would go a long way to helping them fight for the NL West title (which seems to be infinitely winnable).
Heck, this could be another version of 2005, when the Padres won the West at 82-80. That's why I'm here to make an impassioned plea for the Padres to trade for Matt Garza.
This kid has some serious stuff, and the Cubs have already publicly put him on the trade block. He missed the first month and a half of the season with an injury, but in his last three starts, Garza has shown the kind of no-hitter stuff he flashed in Tampa Bay.
Local
How does 22 innings, 2 earned runs, and 23 strikeouts sound?
He's a free agent at the end of the season, which could be a bad or good thing. Bad because it might turn out you give up a couple of good players for a 3-month rental (and since Cubs GM Jed Hoyer knows the Padres' system pretty well, he'll be able to pick out a couple of good players). Good because Garza is obviously fighting for another big contract, and pitching at Petco Park is not exactly a bad thing in the eyes of most pitchers, so he just might want to stay here long-term.
I don't want them to wait and see if they stay in contention long enough to warrant making a move. Make a move now so you can give yourself a better chance to stay in contention.
