It's no secret that the Padres are aggressively pursuing an upgrade at shortstop this offseason, as they have already expressed interest in Andrelton Simmons and Ian Desmond. Another name to watch for the Padres, according to sources, is Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.

San Diego scouted Andrus throughout last season and may view him as an attainable buy-low trade candidate, according to sources, though it is unclear if the team has engaged Texas in trade talks since the end of the season. Padres general manager A.J. Preller is very familiar with Andrus from his time in Texas, giving him a potential advantage in negotiations.

Andrus, 27, is controllable through the 2023 season as part of the massive eight-year, $118 million extension he signed with the Rangers in April 2013. He hit .258/.309/.357 with seven home runs last season while committing a couple of costly errors for Texas in the deciding game of the ALCS vs. Toronto. The Rangers may be willing to move Andrus due to their surplus of middle-infield options (including Rougned Odor, Jurickson Profar and Hanser Alberto), and to clear salary for the next few seasons.

San Diego is expected to cast a wide net in their search for a shortstop, with Desmond, Brewers youngster Luis Sardinas, free agent Alexei Ramirez and many others likely to be in the mix.