Padres' Cashner: 'I know I'm going to be traded'

Notwithstanding reports that suggested he'd be traded ahead of Thursday's scheduled start against the St. Louis Cardinals, Andrew Cashner turned in one of his strongest efforts of 2016 in the series finale at Busch Stadium, allowing one run while fanning eight over 5 2/3 innings in an eventual 6-5 loss.

He doesn't expect to be wearing a San Diego Padres uniform for much longer, though.

"I know I'm going to be traded," Cashner told Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune late Thursday. "It's just part of the game, part of where the season's at."

Cashner's assuredness is hardly misplaced, with the Padres mired in fourth place in the National League West and the non-waiver trade deadline now just 10 days away. Before his club got swept in St. Louis, Padres manager Andy Green said it'd be "disingenuous" to dismiss the possibility of moving Cashner, who will become a free agent this winter.

"It’s no secret where we are as a club right now," Green said. ". . .I've talked openly with (Cashner), let him know that my hope for him is he dominates for us as long as he's in a Padre uniform. And when he puts another uniform on, as long as he's not pitching against the Padres, my hope is he goes and dominates there."

Though Cashner cruised Thursday against the Cardinals, the 29-year-old right-hander - who has reportedly drawn interest from the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Miami Marlins - owns an uninspired 4.79 ERA through 15 starts in 2016, managing an 18.8 percent strikeout rate while allowing 11 home runs in 73 1/3 innings (1.35 per nine).