Padres GM: Shohei Ohtani Trade Unlikely amid Rumors, SD Not Eyeing Stars at Deadline

Could Shohei Ohtani finish his season in sunny San Diego? Not likely.

The San Diego Padres have been linked to the Angels superstar as it becomes increasingly likely that he will be moved at the deadline, but AJ Preller, the Padres president of baseball operations and general manager, has expressed that the team has a different focus for the deadline.

The Padres are 44-49 and sit in fourth place in the NL West, 10 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, this record is not indicative of the talent on the team. The 2023 Padres have underachieved after going 89-73 and reaching the NLCS in 2022.

They also are known to be big spenders. The Padres have locked up Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts to major deals in recent years and gave up a massive haul for Juan Soto at last season's deadline.

The rival Dodgers also have rumored interest in Ohtani, but it looks like Preller is more focused on shoring up depth alongside the stars that San Diego already has, at least for this season.