Report: Padres willing to spend past tax threshold at trade deadline

The San Diego Padres are ready to break the bank for a championship.

San Diego's ownership is willing to spend past the luxury-tax threshold to acquire stars at the trade deadline, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Padres' payroll currently sits at slightly over $174 million, ranking eighth in the league. For luxury tax purposes, they sit about $8 million below the $210-million threshold, according to Spotrac.

San Diego is one of the most talented teams in the National League but is still looking for additional pieces to surround Fernando Tatis Jr., particularly on offense. Before the All-Star break, general manager A.J. Preller hinted that help could be on the way when he said the team's been looking for "a little bit more consistency" offensively, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

One possible addition for the Padres is Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, who's already been linked to San Diego this year. Gallo, who has 24 homers and an MLB-leading 72 walks, has one year of arbitration remaining and is earning just $6.2 million this season.

The Padres could also target more starting pitching after a rash of injuries. Starters Ryan Weathers, Dinelson Lamet, and Adrian Morejon are all on the injured list. Some of the hurlers potentially available at the deadline include Washington's Max Scherzer, Texas' Kyle Gibson, and Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins.

San Diego stole the show at last year's deadline, swinging several blockbuster trades to acquire right-hander Mike Clevinger and catcher Austin Nola, among others.

Although they own the NL's fourth-best record, the Padres sit third in the competitive NL West and 5 1/2 games back of the surprising San Francisco Giants.

The Padres, who have never won a World Series title, are trying to make the playoffs for just the second time since 2007.