Padres' A.J. Preller predicted to 'aim high' at MLB trade deadline

The San Diego Padres, sitting just 0.5 games up on the San Francisco Giants for the final NL Wild Card spot, need to address the holes on the roster at the deadline. With a few areas to address, the Padres need A.J. Preller to take charge.

Fortunately, in an article from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres' general manager received a bold prediction ahead of the MLB trade deadline. When discussing how high Preller will aim at the deadline, Lin made a telling prediction.

"Based on the general manager's history and recent indications," Lin writes, "It is probably relatively high."

If Preller decides to aim high for the Padres, there are a few areas of the roster that would likely be improved. Left field and catcher are the two most obvious needs. For the past few months, the Padres have been looking for players at both positions.

One of their strongest and most often connections is with Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. He's a highly sought-after commodity, and the Red Sox are unlikely to move him.

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But the Padres will still try to land the Red Sox outfielder, as he'd be a great addition to the roster and round out what would be one of the best outfields in baseball. Duran isn't the only ideal player the Padres are looking to land who might not be moved.

At catcher, the Padres have been linked to Atlanta Braves All-Star Sean Murphy. The Braves slugger has been impressive this season, with 16 home runs, and continues to be a solid defender as well. 

With all three Padres' options being lackluster, Martin Maldanado, Elias Diaz, and Luis Campusano, a new catcher is a must-have at the trade deadline. San Diego needs to add both positions, and might not have the plentiful options that there are at other positions.

However, this report from Lin, indicating the Padres are going to "aim high" under Peller, is a great indication that the Padres could make a splash at either position.

Duran or Murphy would be a phenomenal pickup, but it's not likely unless the Padres go all-in, or, in other words, aim high.

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