Let me be clear: this is not a reported trade. But if Adley Rutschman ever becomes available, there’s one team that should be one of the first making the call. The San Diego Padres. Rutschman is still a valuable player. Through early June, he is hitting .258 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs for Baltimore. That is not a collapse. It is also not the superstar offensive profile many expected when he became one of MLB‘s most important young catchers.

MORE: MLB Power Rankings: 30 teams ranked worst to first on June 4th, 2026

Orioles Direction:

The bigger concern is the direction of the Orioles. Baltimore entered Thursday at 29-33 and fourth in the AL East. That does not mean the Orioles have to sell, but it does make every big-picture roster question more interesting. If Baltimore decides it needs a reset around its young core, Rutschman would be the kind of name that changes the entire deadline conversation.

They also have another excellent young catcher in Samuel Basallo, who is expected to be their catcher of the future. Bassalo’s presence is what makes Adley expendable.

Padres Make Sense

San Diego makes sense because the catcher remains a position worth watching.

The Padres opened the season with Freddy Fermin as the primary catcher and Luis Campusano as the backup. Their current depth chart lists Fermin, Rodolfo Durán, and Campusano, who is on the 10-day injured list. That is functional, but it is not the kind of setup that should stop a contender from chasing a major upgrade.

Rutschman would give San Diego something different. He is a switch-hitting catcher with star pedigree, postseason expectations, and enough offensive upside to change the bottom half of a lineup. He also would not be a rental, which matters for a Padres team that usually thinks bigger than short-term patchwork.

The hard part is obvious. Baltimore would not give him away, and San Diego would have to build a painful package. But from a fit standpoint, this one works.

Rutschman may not need saving. But if he ever needs a reset, San Diego is the team that makes the most sense.

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The Nick Castellanos experiment in San Diego is over.

The Padres announced June 3 that they designated the two-time All-Star for assignment, ending his tenure in San Diego less than three months into the 2026 season. He was slashing .191/.221/.339 in 39 games, primarily in a corner outfield/designated hitter role.

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Infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take the roster spot of Castellanos. The Padres, who are 32-27 after three consecutive losses, are coincidentally playing in Philadelphia on June 3.

The Phillies released Castellanos on Feb. 12 with $20 million left in the final season of his contract. The Padres were on the hook for the major league minimum — $780,000 — of his salary this season.

In the end, Castellanos couldn’t even justify that meager expense in the eyes of the Padres, who are six games out of first place and fading in the National League West.

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Castellanos is only three games removed from his final National League All-Star game appearance with Philadelphia. He lingered only three days in free agency before latching on with the Padres in spring training. But there were signs of trouble out of the gate.

In five March games, Castellanos batted .167 (2 for 12). By the end of April, he was hitting .164. A former Silver Slugger Award winner, Castellanos didn’t hit his first home run of the 2026 season until April 29.

Castellanos’ modest improvement at the plate in May — .217/.222/.400, with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 20 games — was not enough to save his job.

Taylor, 27, will take Castellanos’ place on the bench for now. Veteran outfielder Ramon Laureano and catcher Luis Campusano, another right-handed hitter, are both on the injured list. So is veteran infielder Jake Cronenworth, a left-handed hitter.

It’s mildly surprising the Padres did not wait for one of the three injured regulars to return before pulling the plug on Castellanos. Instead, they did so at a critical junction in the season — amid a big series with a good Phillies team, where Castellanos can say goodbye to friends in two clubhouses.