Report: Padres have talked to Cubs about Javier Baez

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With the non-waiver trade deadline less than 48 hours away, rival teams believe the San Diego Padres, who remain six games below .500, are positioning themselves to make a "huge deal."

And a potential trade might even involve one of the game's most intriguing prospects, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Wielding a number of popular trade chips in Justin Upton, Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and Ian Kennedy, the Padres have reportedly talked to the Chicago Cubs about Javier Baez, the 22-year-old shortstop once considered among the game's elite prospects.

Baez made his MLB debut last summer, showing both considerable power and a problematic plate approach in 52 games with the Cubs, but has spent all of 2015 at the Triple-A level after being optioned to the minors towards the end of spring training. Though he lost his sister to complications with spina bifida and battled a hand injury earlier this season, the former first-round pick has impressed for Triple-A Iowa, hitting .317/.387/.572 with 10 home runs in 38 games thus far.

Baez, the ninth overall pick in 2011, also remains under team control for six more seasons – a player who would fit A.J. Preller's mandate to add pieces who can help the Padres "beyond this season."

The Cubs, meanwhile, boast a surplus of young infielders between Baez, Starlin Castro, Addison Russell, and Kris Bryant. Castro was even linked to the Padres earlier this week, in fact, though Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he told the 25-year-old he's "not getting traded."