The San Diego Padres are facing some serious questions about the back end of their starting rotation, and one name keeps bubbling up as a potential trade chip: left-hander JP Sears.

With Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta sidelined, the Padres are leaning on pitchers like Walker Buehler and Griffin Canning to eat innings. But relying on that duo to consistently go deep into games might be a tall order over a full season. So why not turn to minor-league depth? Well, according to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, San Diego may be ready to move on from a lefty who hasn't even made his 2026 MLB debut yet—despite all the injuries and inconsistency at the big-league level.

"JP Sears was to the Mason Miller trade what Josh Bell was to the Juan Soto trade back in 2022, only with several additional years of team control," Miller wrote. That comparison puts Sears in a familiar role: the throw-in piece that could become a valuable asset elsewhere.

Sears, now 30, made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees back in 2022 and has already been traded twice in the last four years. Last season, in five starts with the Padres, he posted a 5.47 ERA. And even with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Nick Pivetta all just expensive spectators right now, San Diego hasn't felt compelled to call him up in 2026. "But look for them to include him in some way in whatever this summer's AJ Preller special ends up being," Miller added.

If the Padres can't find a role for Sears, another team almost certainly will. He gives up a lot of home runs, but he can be a reliable innings-eater for a non-contender looking to stabilize its rotation. For a team like the Padres, who are chasing a playoff spot, that kind of inconsistency is a tough sell. But for a club in rebuild mode? Sears could be exactly the kind of low-risk, high-upside arm that turns into a mid-season gem.

So keep an eye on San Diego's trade deadline moves. If AJ Preller is cooking up another blockbuster, JP Sears might just be the unexpected piece that gets it done.