The last time Zack Greinke gave up a run, the Dodgers right-hander was facing the Padres on June 13 in the eighth inning of a 1-all game. Greinke, in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory, did something he’s rarely done since: He threw a full-count pitch down the middle of the strike zone.

Padres left fielder Justin Upton obliged, clobbering a go-ahead home run to left field. Petco Park shook. Inside the home dugout, a television camera captured maybe the most gleeful reaction.

There was Will Venable, bouncing up and down, twisting in mid-air. The team’s longest-tenured player resembled a toddler hopped up on candy.

Though the 32-year-old isn’t known as the most emotional player, the moment encapsulated why he is beloved within the Padres’ clubhouse, why it’s been that way since he debuted in San Diego in 2008. If a team-first guy is one of the sport’s foremost cliches, Venable is the embodiment of the cliche.


That, along with Venable’s left-handedness and versatility, factored into A.J. Preller’s decision to keep the veteran outfielder last offseason, even as the Padres general manager dealt away others.

Now, it’s a factor again, but perhaps in the other direction.

Venable, Upton and Padres pitchers Ian Kennedy and Joaquin Benoit all will be eligible for free agency after a season that hasn’t gone according to plan. Thus, all are candidates to be moved by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

A rare homegrown player, Venable was here long before any of them. And while he fully grasps the situation, if it were up to him, he’ll be here after July 31.


“This is all I’ve ever known,” Venable said in the home dugout at Petco before Tuesday’s game against the Giants. “This is the only place I want to play. I don’t like to think too big, but in thinking big, I’d like to play here for the rest of my career. That would be ideal, starting with a nice finish to this season and a playoff push. In a perfect world.”

Venable was scheduled to make his seventh start this season in left field, in place of Upton, who’s nursing a tight oblique. He’s also made 42 starts in center, where Wil Myers opened the season, and four in right.

He was hitting .251 with six home runs and six steals, but much of his value had come in serving as a flexible replacement for a vaunted outfield. It is a role Venable embraced in spring training.

Several months later, Venable’s name often has been mentioned in trade rumors. A number of teams, most notably the Cubs, are seen as potential landing places.


“Having seen over the years the way the process goes, based on where you’re at in your career, you’re automatically funneled into a category of possible trade candidates,” said Venable, who’s in the second leg of a two-year, $8.5 million extension. “And that’s the point I’m at in my career, impending free agency.

“But it’s not something that I can control,” he added. “In keeping my focus narrowed, it’s about tonight. It’s doing what I need to do to help this team right now.”

As of early Tuesday evening, the Padres were still on a five-game winning streak, still hoping to continue their push before the deadline. The possibility loomed that Upton, regarded as the top available bat on the market, could soon be wearing another uniform. The same possibility also loomed for the less-flashy but eminently useful Venable.

Even if Venable is moved, his track record suggests that, in a new environment, he would simply continue being a model teammate and competitor. And even if that did happen, he suggested that he wouldn’t be opposed to re-signing with the Padres next season.


“There’s a lot of other things going on with the Padres right now,” Venable said. “I’m just part of it and hopefully part of it for a long time.”

Regardless of where he’ll be playing next month, Venable is facing one of the most significant developments of his life. He and his wife, Kathryn, are expecting a daughter in August.

“I’ve always played to win the game because that’s my responsibility as a ballplayer and a competitor,” Venable said. “But kind of big picture, I’ve gone out there every game and played hard for my family. It’s a situation now where playing for my family is only increasing in importance.”