What happened to Rougned Odor and Austin Nola? Padres make surprising moves with veterans ahead of trade deadline

The San Diego Padres have continued to overhaul their roster as they look for a big second half of the season.

The most recent wave of moves has come at the expense of Rougned Odor and Austin Nola, as both players were removed from the roster, albeit under different circumstances.

In case of Odor, the veteran infielder has been designated for assignment, which could end his tenure with the club. The San Diego Padres will now have one week to either trade Odor or attempt to pass him through waivers.

However, Rougned Odor has the option to decline a minor league assignment, which would make him an unrestricted free agent.

"You know who wasn’t the reason the Pads suck? Our guy STINKY. Thanks for the memories Rougned Odor. Hope some playoff team picks you up and you hit a Walk Off in the Playoffs. Clutch God" - @DevineGospel

Austin Nola on the other hand, has been assigned directly to Triple-A El Paso, using one of his minor league options. The move was made to open a roster space for fellow catcher Luis Campusano, who was reinstated from the 60-day IL.

At 33 years old, Nola will need to prove that he can still perform at the major league level if he hopes to continue his MLB career beyond this season. Recently acquired Gary Sanchez will be the other catcher moving forward for the Padres.

The moves of Rougned Odor and Austin Nola come only one week after the club designated veteran slugger Nelson Cruz for assignment. The flurry of moves may only be the beginning for San Diego as the club is currently outside of the playoff picture.

"As #BlueJays consider ways to add offensively, they’ve shown some interest in Nelson Cruz, per source. Cruz, 43, is a free agent after being DFA by Padres. Jays’ 40-man is full but they’ll need to open spots soon so some churn is coming." - @bnicholsonsmith

The San Diego Padres are expected to be active at the MLB Trade Deadline

With a record of 44-50, San Diego is expected to be one of the most active and interesting teams as the MLB Trade Deadline rapidly approaches.

At this point, San Diego could find themselves as either buyers or sellers at the deadline. This is why all eyes of the MLB universe will be paying attention to the Southern California squad.

If the Friars opt to become sellers at the deadline, one name to watch out for is superstar closer Josh Hader, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old remains one of the top closers in the game, so he should draw plenty of interest if he does become available.