Entering the 2016 season felt like that migraine you get after eating an entire 16 ounce bag of Swedish Fish in one sitting. Full of regret and angst, few expected this team to have any semblance of competence (except Mike Dee). "Thankfully", and unlike last year, the Padres lived up to their expectations, currently sitting at 14 games under .500 and 16.5 games behind the Even Year Giants.

But that's not to say this year has been boring, or without surprises. Quite the opposite, in fact - somehow, the 2016 Padres have set (good) franchise records, most recently hitting a home run in 19 straight games. Wil Myers hit the most home runs ever by a Padre in June, and tied the record for most Extra Base Hits in a month. They walked-off on a balk. Of course, they also set many bad records, like being shut out entirely the first series of the season.

We've also seen multiple players come out of the dreams of A.J. Preller and perform way above expectations - Drew Pomeranz, Jon Jay, Wil Myers, Melvin Upton Jr, Yangervis Solarte, Fernando Rodney, Ryan Buchter - just to name a few. This is the defining quality of the upper echelon of MLB teams. Finding undervalued players and underpaid players, getting real production out of them, and using them to win games is a must for teams to compete. Look at the contract Madison Bumgarner is under. Wince at the impoverished Anthony Rizzo. Gasp at the woefully destitute Daniel Murphy. Discovering talent on the cheap and exploiting the players' bad contractual timing remains a vital component of the elite ballclubs.

Preller has proven he can do that.

So why aren't we part of the winners, huh?

That really is the 135 million dollar question. With so many players unexpectedly performing much better than predicted, one would assume that the Padres would be a decent, if not a contending, team. Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Certainly, many Padres starters are bad. And when I say bad, I mean our starting shortstop has a -2 WAR just after the All-Star Break. Derek Norris, as much as my man crush hurts to admit, is severely underperforming. Matt Kemp has the third highest contract out of all MLB right fielders, and has produced a whopping 0.0 WAR. Tyson Ross, Cesar Vargas, Robbie Erlin, and Cory Spangenberg died. Andrew Cashner gives you a heart attack every other pitch. Erik Johnson was found watching the pitching machine intently and taking notes. There has been much about the Padres this year that is extremely ugly.

But at the same time, the Padres have multiple players that contending teams consider upgrades. James Shields, admittedly, was traded for some money, a broken man, and a 17-year-old lottery ticket (that's actually been performing well!!). However, Drew Pomeranz was traded for probably the single best prospect that will be moved this year in Anderson Espinoza. We can expect a lower-graded prospect or two for Cashner, but the depleted starter market and his 2-game hot-streak will significantly increase his return. Derek Norris, despite his offensive woes (and thanks to his uptick in defense), will clear the way for Austin Hedges whilst returning a decent prospect. Jon Jay, once healthy, can get something nice for his 3-month rental. Melvin Upton Jr., despite a large contract, should be moved without forcing the Padres to eat too much of his contract. Fernando Rodney gave us wunderkind Chris Paddack.

With Matt Kemp, we're probably screwed.

Yangervis Solarte, if traded, will net a neat package. Wil Myers won't be traded, but if he would, his yield would eclipse that of Pomeranz's.

All in all, this seems like a collection of players that shouldn't own the record that they do. The obvious knee-jerk is to point our collective fingers at Starting Pitcher injuries - but every team goes through that, and the Dodgers have it much worse. It would almost be tempting, especially for Dee and Fowler, to attempt to go "all-in" again this year. This enticement multiplies when you realize the Padres offense is one of the best since June.

When we look at the gutted team after the August 1st waiver-free trade deadline, don't be surprised with a bountiful return. We do have many enticing pieces to buying teams.

Do be surprised, however, on how they managed to be so bad.

Side Note: This is my first article, so if you liked it, please let me know! Also, any constructive criticism would be very appreciated. Thanks for Reading!