It's tempting to dream, if for just a moment, about what the 2015 San Diego Padres might look like if they had deferred gratification just a little while longer and retained their prospects. The exercise is worthwhile, because the Padres should think about hitting the reset button unless the fourth-place team overcomes its mediocrity and starts to win very soon.

If the Padres hadn't traded for Matt Kemp, they'd still have one of the best catchers in 2015, Yasmani Grandal, who has a .382 on-base percentage and 10 homers -- more than twice as many as Kemp -- and also ranks among the leaders in some next-level defensive metrics.

If Grandal hadn't been traded, then the Padres wouldn't have had to deal Jesse Hahn for Derek Norris. Hahn has 14 starts for the Athletics and boasts a 3.40 ERA.

If the Padres hadn't made the trade for Justin Upton, they would have 25-year-old Jace Peterson, who is hitting .279 with a .360 on-base percentage for Atlanta. The Padres also would have center field prospect Mallex Smith, who is hitting .340 in Double-A with a .418 on-base percentage and 23 stolen bases; Dustin Peterson, a 20-year-old outfielder and former second-round pick playing well in Class A; and well-regarded pitching prospect Max Fried, a first-round pick in 2012 who is now recovering from Tommy John surgery.

If San Diego had remained patient last summer and held on to Huston Street, the Padres wouldn't have traded for the game's second-most expensive closer, Craig Kimbrel, and would still have 22-year-old right-hander Matt Wisler, who was among the players sent to Atlanta for Kimbrel.