The San Diego Padres are in the NL Wild Card race, a little over a month away from the MLB trade deadline. In the current situation, the Padres would almost certainly be buyers. But, in an article from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Padres general manager A.J. Preller revealed his plans if the team falls out of contention in the next month.

"We've had years where we've been aggressive," Preller said. "We've had years where we stood pat. We've had years where we've pivoted and dealt for prospects and minor-league players. I think we're always open-minded."

Preller opens the door to the possibility of trading away players for prospects, as he's prepared to do what's right at the deadline based on his team. With the Padres in a Wild Card spot in the NL right now, it's leaning towards a buying trade deadline. But Preller isn't shutting down other possibilities just yet.

"And I think for right now," Preller said. "It's looking like we're hoping to add to the club we have, but we're always going to be open to what direction we need to go, and that makes the most sense for the team for now and the future."

This follow-up from Preller confirms that the Padres, if knocked out of contention, would be willing to sell. The Padres aren't in such a situation yet, but the front office, led by Preller, is open to trading away players if needed.

Starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King are both free agents after the 2025 season. If the Padres fell out of contention, both would likely fetch a nice return on the trade block, especially with a lack of quality starters on the market.

Selling at the trade deadline might be the right decision on a franchise-building level, but for the rest of the year, it'd be another lost season with stars like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. only getting older. While it's not likely at the moment, the door is being opened by Preller for the Padres to sell is something to monitor as the league approaches the trade deadline.