The San Diego Padres have plummeted in the standings over the last month, with the season starting to spiral out of control.Over the last couple of weeks, the Padres have seen their deficit in the National League West balloon to 15 games. Additionally, the team has fallen out of the playoff picture in the NL wild-card race, now 4.5 games out of the final spot.With these recent results, some believe that the Padres could elect to become sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, rather than the expected buyers. San Diego has a few players on the roster that could be of interest to teams across the league, giving president of baseball operations A.J. Preller some intriguing options.According to Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres are mapping out both options. He talked about Walker Buehler as a key player who keeps them in limbo on both sides."The Padres need Buehler to be what he was in June in order for them to remain a contender. They need him to pitch like he did in June if they become sellers and are effectively forced into trading their prized project of 2026," Acee wrote."But those who make such considerations for the Padres would be foolish to not be mapping out both roads. Rest assured, they are doing so."June saw Buehler look like his old All-Star self, with the right-hander putting up an ERA of 1.71 over five starts. For these few games, Buehler was the most consistent arm on the Padres' pitching staff.But over his two starts in July, Buehler has regressed heavily, allowing 16 runs over nine innings of work. Buehler's ERA for the season now sits at 5.07 over 18 starts, with the veteran throwing 87 innings.If the Padres are going to trade Buehler, they will need him to turn back into the pitcher that he was in June. His value isn't likely to be very high, but the Padres could look to flip him for something rather than lose him in free agency.Even with his recent problems on the mound, Buehler has done enough for teams to believe he can fully turn the corner. Something has clicked in the veteran, and he has equated his results from this season to his being healthy."I think health is first and foremost." Buehler said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "My elbow has not been in a good place for the past two years. This offseason, I kind of did some wonky stuff. I got a tooth removed that a [chiropractor] in [Cincinnati] explained to me is a 'shoulder-and-elbow-related' tooth. I had a bad root canal that they went and took out. I did some alternative treatment stuff on it. We moved to Arizona. I got in a little bit better shape. So some combination of all that stuff." It remains to be seen if Buehler will be traded at the deadline, but the Padres do seem to at least be canvassing the league in regards to potentially selling. If the team continues to free fall, there could be a few players moved, with Buehler and other impending free agents at the top of the list.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest newsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow