Padres GM Explains Trade Deadline Moves: 'We Feel Like' We Can Win amid 54-56 Record

The San Diego Padres are below .500, outside of the playoff pitcher and had multiple pitchers on expiring deals that could have fetched a premium prospect package.

While this context seemingly would lead to a deadline sell, the team instead opted to hold on to their talent and replenish the roster with players like Ji-Man Choi, Rich Hill, Scott Barlow and Garrett Cooper. President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said that this decision was made due to the organization's confidence with the talent on the roster.

"We have a team that we feel like can win," Preller said, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. "And if we were able to add to the club and give us a good chance here in the next two months, it's gonna be a good pennant race."

The talent on the Padres roster is significant. The team is just a season removed from a NLCS run and possess a payroll that is the third-highest in MLB. The Padres have multiple standout players, including Juan Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. Given this talent, Preller said the front office couldn't justify giving up on the season.

"We just never got anything that was that compelling for us from that standpoint," Preller said. "We were open-minded, very prepared from a scouting group, from a front office group, but ultimately there wasn't anything really on that side that was last minute or really over the course of the last few days that pushed us strong in that direction. It came down to a team that we have belief in, and also some deals that we liked."

The Padres are currently 54-56 and sit in fourth place in the NL West. They are 10 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the division and are four games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the third Wild Card spot.