Report: Padres made push to acquire Trea Turner before deadline

The San Diego Padres expressed strong interest in acquiring Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals before the All-Star shortstop was traded to the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told Robert Murray of Fansided.

The Padres also reportedly discussed Max Scherzer with the Nationals prior to the trade deadline. However, that deal never materialized, and both Scherzer and Turner were sent to the Dodgers in a blockbuster swap that included top prospects Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray heading to Washington.

It's unclear what the Padres tabled, but Murray notes a deal wasn't close, and a Nationals source downplayed the Scherzer talks as a "general back and forth."

The Padres boast infield depth after adding second baseman Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in July to a mix that already includes Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Ha-seong Kim, and Jake Cronenworth. As Tatis recovers from his most recent shoulder injury he's been working out as an outfielder, which is a move he could make to help fit others into the lineup.

Turner, 28, is three games into his Dodgers tenure, going 2-for-8 with a stolen base and three runs scored while primarily playing second base.

The Padres sit third in the ultra-competitive NL West, and they're seven games back of the first-place San Francisco Giants while occupying the second NL wild-card spot. The Dodgers hold a three-game lead for home-field advantage in the wild-card game.