Miami Marlins rescuer Anthony Bender is a very popular name among the team looking to buy by Thursday's trade deadline.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Track and Field, San Diego Padres is one of several clubs interested in the right hand of the 30-year-old.
Every team with a playoff desire is seeking help in search of extensions of the bullpen. The priests had no obvious need for another mitigator. Their bullpen has the best era in Major League Baseball (3.03) and ranks 11th with strikeout rate (8.99 per 9 innings).
So far, the department has been asked to cover 386.1 innings, which is the 12th place of all teams, so the Priests may want to relieve some of their current burden. If they are going to acquire Bender, it could also be a strategic move to keep him away from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are associated with almost every reliefer that may be available, although Rosenthal noted Friday that they “don’t want to overpay” given the natural volatility brought about by loose pitching.
Bender has been in team-controlled for two seasons after 2025, and has become a popular trade candidate due to his contract status and performance. He has 1.85 ERA in 44.1 innings this season, with 25 hits.
If the Padres can add Bender to the group already including Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Wandy Peralta, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrián Morejón, they will have the ability to close any roster late in the game.
Padres are only behind the Dodgers' NL West, with both teams planning six head-on games in August. They also led the Cincinnati Reds to get the final wildcard in two games.