Mired in fourth place in the National League West following an aggressive winter overhaul, the San Diego Padres could look to unload one of their prized acquisitions from this past offseason as the trade deadline nears.

The Padres, who dropped to 39-49 with a sixth straight loss Friday, have reportedly asked other teams about possible interest in veteran right-hander James Shields, according to Peter Gammons.

Shields, a San Diego native, has enjoyed a decent start to his tenure with the Padres since signing a four-year, $75-million deal with the club in February. The 33-year-old owns a 3.88 ERA (92 OPS+) with a 1.27 WHIP over 18 starts, surrendering a whopping 17 home runs in 111 1/3 innings while also posting the best strikeout rate (26.9 percent) of his career.

When broached earlier this week about his team's struggles, though, Padres general manager A.J. Preller indicated his club's record won't dictate how he approaches the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline.

"I think it's that type of year where you're evaluating and the focus is on being prepared for the next three weeks and being prepared for different scenarios," Preller told MLB.com's Corey Brock. "It's not a record thing from our standpoint, but what the value is on the market, if we think there's going to be good deals, whether that's adding to the club or changing the look of the club a little bit, that's what this time of year is for. We're still in the process of evaluating that."

Preller, however, has already demonstrated a willingness to make a change when something isn't working. Earlier this season, the newly hired executive fired Bud Black, the club's manager since 2007, following a 32-33 start.