Padres Slugger Hunter Renfroe Reportedly Drawing Interest on Trade Market Ahead of Deadline

The San Diego Padres are hunting for Renfroe suitors. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the right-handed, power-hitting outfielder is becoming a popular trade target as the July 31 trade deadline is drawing near.

If San Diego truly wants to go forth with a rebuild, Renfroe could possibly fetch them a decent haul of prospects.

Renfroe is hitting in the middle of a revamped Padres lineup that includes $300 million man Manny Machado, Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer, Franmil Reyes and Fernando Tatis Jr. He's had himself a decent season so far, hitting .243 with 18 home runs over 196 plate appearances for a team that has more or less teetered around the .500 mark.

The Padres, who many saw as still a year early in their quest for contention, have shown some of their potential this season and this could be a reason for hesitation when it comes to trading a player with Renfroe's ability and upside. The team also tried trading Renfroe during the offseason, but couldn't find the right valuation in a return package.

One of Renfroe's major weaknesses is his lack of on base skills, he has just a 7.1% walk rate and a mediocre .296 on-base percentage. With on base metrics becoming more important in the age of analytics, this can certainly be attributed to his lower value. Nevertheless, any suitor in the mix for the slugger can be sure they're adding a power bat off the bench for the stretch run.

If the right offer is on the table, the Padres shouldn't hesitate to offload Renfroe, as they aren't short of outfielders.