Padres Rookies Weigh In on Trade Rumors

San Diego Padres rookies C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore have battled hard to earn full-time roster spots this season. However, as the trade deadline approaches, both players' names have been involved in rumors, including one that has the duo in a package for Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto.

Even though trade rumors can be distracting, neither of San Diego's youngsters plan on getting distracted. Abrams recently told The Athletic that he "doesn't really pay any attention to that stuff," instead going "day by day, and whatever happens happens."

Padres Trade Rumors

Gore also made it clear that he won't be bothered by any rumors, saying that he loves playing in San Diego. The 23-year-old's pitching struggles over the last month or so don't help his case, but he admitted that he's confident that he's "going to pitch better" going forward.

"I did a good job of, when I was pitching well, to kind of flush it and go to the next one. So, just doing that. The last 30 days, I haven’t been very good, and that’s part of it."

- MacKenzie Gore

After strong pitching performances in April and May, Gore has struggled since June 11, going 0-3 in six appearances since then, giving up five homers and 25 earned runs on 31 hits for a 10.89 ERA over 20.2 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, Abrams opened the 2022 campaign as Baseball America's No. 9-ranked prospect. He's split time between Triple-A and the Padres, amassing two HRs and 11 RBIs with a .231/.280/.322 slash line in 43 MLB games thus far.

Soto is a franchise-quality talent and it wouldn't be shocking to learn that the Nationals want Gore and/or Abrams in any potential deal with the Padres. While it would hurt to lose either rookie, it'd be worth it to bring in the former World Series champion, who's only turning 24 in October.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.