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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on before Game Three of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on October 08, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

After starting incredibly hot, the San Diego Padres have come back down to Earth. One player who could reignite the flame resides in Baltimore–and his name is Adley Rutschman. 

The Padres Should Trade For Adley Rutschman 

On a recent post on @dugoutforever, a Robert Murray trade pitch was highlighted that would land San Diego star catcher Adley Rutschman. 

Rutschman, 28, was the number one pick by the Orioles in the 2019 MLB draft. His college days vindicated the selection, as he’s widely regarded as one of the better collegiate hitters in recent history. 

In the early days of Rutschman’s MLB career, he was a star. As a rookie, the then-24-year-old slashed .254/.362/.445. Good for an OPS of .806 and 5.4 Baseball Reference WAR. His stellar performance placed him 12th in MVP voting and second in Rookie of the Year. 

He followed up his rookie season with a solid sophomore campaign, avoiding the all-too-common ‘sophomore slump.’ 

But in 2025, suddenly, Rutschman wasn’t the same player. 

It started slow, as most slumps do, and then snowballed into an entire season of mediocrity. 

Rutschman hadn’t yet earned an extension in Baltimore, and his 2025 season made it that much harder. 

However, he’s bounced back in 2026. With an .824 OPS in his first 51 games, the switch-hitting catcher is well on his way to a solid season. 

The Padres have scrambled for catcher production all season, and if they added Rutschman, he could transform their lineup. 

The San Diego Padres Lineup is in Desperate Need of Help

As it stands, the Padres are MLB’s worst offense–and it’s not particularly close. 

Future Hall of Fame third baseman Manny Machado is hitting below the Mendoza line. Breakout center fielder Jackson Merrill has a 71 OPS+. And the team’s best hitter has been journeyman Gavin Sheets, who, even after a recent cold stretch, has a .769 OPS. 

The Padres are in St. Louis right now, and in game one, they fell victim to Dustin May. 

The Cardinals starter tossed nine innings of shutout baseball, allowing only one hit. That knock was a measly single that just managed to dribble by Cardinals’ rookie Blaze Jordan at the hot corner. 

May’s performance deserves its flowers, but who’s to say the Padres’ lackluster lineup didn’t play a key role? 

San Diego ranks last in OPS, OBP, hits, and runs across baseball. There’s no way of slicing it: the Padres can’t hit. 

Rutschman is in the midst of arbitration and still has plenty of team control. In addition to his lack of a contract from the O’s, rookie revelation Samuel Basallo has kept pace with Rutschman every step of the way. With the newfound slugger also playing the catcher position, it’s become much more sensible to move on from the former first-round pick. 

Whatever the Padres decide to do, they’ll need to pick a direction. Fans are tired of the middling play. 

Social Media Reacts to Padres

Here’s what people are saying: 

@realbrentreed: “Really hope they prove me wrong but the Padres have looked awful like 90% of games this season. Theres just no world where this season ends with them winning a ring lol.”

@ghostofthemurph: “This Padres season has felt like a simulation. The rotation is just a bunch of back-end guys. Their best hitters are journeyman, they have a player who was the face of baseball and now can’t hit a homer to save his life, and 2 expensive vets who are out of shape and useless.”