Key SF Giants division rival looks to be trying to buy, and sell, at deadline

The SF Giants appear to be in a position to buy going into the July 31st trade deadline. While one division rival appears to be in the process of a fire sale, the San Diego Padres are reportedly trying to both buy and sell ahead of the deadline.

The Giants and Padres are both right there in the NL playoff picture. Both teams are within striking distance of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West standings and San Diego currently holds the final NL Wild Card spot with the Giants only one game back.

SF Giants division rival trying to thread the needle with trade deadline approach

Whether the Giants make the playoffs or not this season may ultimately come down to whether they finish with a better record than the Padres. That is why whatever San Diego ends up doing these next few days could play a big role in determining the outcome of the NL playoff picture.

The Padres have been linked to starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara in trade talks. The former NL Cy Young Award winner would be a huge get for San Diego and would add to their starting rotation in a very big way.

Yet, they also seem to be willing to sell from their rotation as it is also reported that they have been discussing Dylan Cease with other teams. The thinking seems to be that they would trade Cease to try and address other deficiencies on the roster, but with their rotation already in rough shape due to injury it would be risky to get rid of Cease.

The Padres have also been linked to some potential upgrades on offense. Specifically, it looks like they could be targeting help in the outfield as they have been linked to Luis Robert Jr. and Ramon Laureano.

It is going to be interesting to see how aggressive San Diego is at the deadline. It will also be interesting to see if their approach influences the Giants' approach at all. If San Diego makes a splash, the Giants may feel the need to make a splash of their own as they try to snag a spot in the playoffs.

There are certainly targets out there for the Giants to pursue who would shake things up in a major way. Plus, getting another starting pitcher seems like a priority after Hayden Birdsong's struggles.

The race for the playoffs may be neck and neck between the Giants and Padres coming down the stretch, so the moves they make ahead of the trade deadline are going to be worth watching.

More SF Giants rumors: