Sorry, Padres fans. Your team has to keep an open mind and an open ear. It has to make sure the phone batteries are charged. It has to crunch the numbers, weighing status quo against the potential dividends of a brightening tomorrow.

The Padres absolutely have to consider trading Kirby Yates.

That’s not what most want to hear, considering Yates continues plowing unique door-slamming ground with a club record 30 saves at the All-Star break after polishing off another in the Padres’ 5-3 win Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

When you pile up that many saves by early July, in 31 opportunities, plenty of clubs take notice. When you stack up that many for the Padres, a team with 45 wins in total, people definitely notice. He’s blossomed into an elite closer because of an elite pitch, the splitter.


Closers like Yates who sculpt rare first halves become mid-season gold. You can gain a ton in a hurry when you’re willing to see what the playoff-chasing front runners are willing to cough up.

Yates understands. Nature of the business, and all of that.

“It comes with the job,” Yates said. “The most attractive trade pieces at the deadline are bullpen guys, whether you’re a closer or not. If you’re pitching good at that time, your name’s going to be talked about.”

No moment Sunday showcased the soaring market for Yates more than a ninth-inning at-bat against Cody Bellinger, the clubhouse leader for NL MVP. He froze Bellinger with a first-pitch splitter. Later, two meek attempts to protect with two strikes barely produced contact.


Yates then induced the Dodgers star into whiffing on an 86-mph splitter for a strikeout. That made the closer the 18th in history – and 10th in the National League – to reach 30 saves by the break.

So dealing Yates constitutes utter madness, right? Well, look no farther than your own franchise, which shipped out All-Star closer Fernando Rodney in 2016 and got possible top-of-the-rotation starter Chris Paddack in return.

Granted, Rodney was 39 at the time, but it proved to be the ultimate sell-high payoff. A 0.31 ERA during the first half in San Diego ballooned to 5.89 with the Marlins, as his walks and hits per innings pitched spiked from 0.87 to 1.8 while Miami opponents hit a robust .289 against him.

Rodney blew three of 11 save chances after changing uniforms. This season, he’s limped to a 7.11 ERA in limited use while Paddack continues to ascend.


Peek at the move a year ago that shipped another All-Star closer, Brad Hand, to Cleveland. That allowed the Padres to pry away Francisco Mejia, a switch-hitting catcher with massive pop ranked the No. 15 prospect in baseball at the time by MLB Pipeline.

That was a smart roll of the dice for Hand, who once was a waiver claim. Selling high, again.

“I was with (Hand) last year when it happened,” Yates said. “When we talked, we both didn’t think he’d get traded and he got traded. It’s just one of those things that you never know.”

When the Padres traded starter James Shields to the White Sox in June 2016, selling near the top paid off in an even bigger way. That’s the deal that landed a 17-year-old prospect named Fernando Tatis Jr.


The recent history of flipping big arms near the season’s mid-point continues to smile on these Padres. There’s pain in the moment, paid for with patience in knowing that another building block has been snapped into place.

So, of course teams want to talk about Yates. And of course the Padres need to listen.

“That’s just baseball,” Padres catcher Austin Hedges said. “Good players are sought after. It would be crazy to think people wouldn’t be asking about him. Every team should want the best reliever in baseball. We do, too.

“At the same time, it’s not up to us.”


Considering a trade is different than saying the Padres should pull the trigger. They own all the leverage. There’s no reason to panic. They would need to be offered a haul – and likely will be.

The counterargument some will make, including Yates, is that the Padres remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

“I’m not thinking about (a possible trade), because I think we’re in this,” said Yates, 32. “I think we can make the playoffs. I think everyone in here feels the same way. I don’t think anybody in this clubhouse is saying, ‘Hey, we should be sellers.’ I don’t think anybody’s thinking that. We’re in a position where we can make a run at this. We all believe that we can.”

That’s what you want Yates to say – and exactly the type of gritty mentality that has made him a special weapon when the ninth inning rolls around.


Is it reasonable, though, to think the youngest starting rotation in baseball will hold up in the second half? We’ve already seen the cracks. They’re less and less unknowns by the day as teams stock up on video and scour the growing analytics. Innings limits await Paddack and others. Let’s just say the bullpen does not always inspire confidence.

This isn’t to suggest the Padres simply wave a white flag. It’s a plea for the front office and fans to divorce emotion from raw facts. Think of it as a ballpark version of probability analysis.

If someone’s willing to sell the farm (system) for Yates, you take the call. Interest will be sky high for a splitter ranked No. 1 in baseball, in terms of vertical movement compared to average pitchers with similar velocity and release. The ball plummets a staggering 37.8 inches on average, according to BaseballSavant.com.

Remember, too, that San Diego’s current set of deal makers has proved bolder than ever.


Machado broke the signing mold in San Diego. The quick call-up of star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. – who drove in four runs with a pair of homers Sunday – signaled another organizational curveball, service time be damned.

These windows, when talent and timing meet to create valuable opportunity, do not open all the time.

If they call, you listen.