Padres Have Received Interest In Freddy Fermin, Luis Campusano

The Padres have gotten calls from other teams on catchers Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano, writes Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee reports that San Diego is likely to trade one of those players this offseason.

Catching should be an organizational strength for years. Ethan Salas, who has a case as the #1 prospect in baseball, made a late-season debut at age 20. Salas will hopefully be the franchise catcher. There’s a good chance he’ll break camp, as San Diego trusted him enough to start him for three games in the postseason. Scouting reports rave about Salas’ defensive tools and advanced leadership and game calling skills. He’s also coming off a .296/.374/.448 showing against older pitching between the top two minor league levels this year.

Salas’ emergence naturally makes one of the more experienced catchers more expendable. Fermin is a superlative defender who hit .203/.274/.315 in 96 games this year. The bat is probably too light for him to be a #1 catcher on a contender, but he excels in all aspects behind the plate. He’s an above-average pitch framer, an elite blocker, and one of the best catch-and-throw backstops in the league. Fermin has also built a strong reputation as a leader of pitching staffs in Kansas City and San Diego.

Campusano has a very different profile. He graded as one of the worst defensive catchers in the league early in his career. The Padres kept him in the minors for most of the 2025 season. That was Campusano’s final option year, so he needed to stick in the big leagues this past season. He played well enough to do just that, batting .265/.363/.433 with eight homers in 248 plate appearances. Campusano started 51 games behind the dish and 10 as a designated hitter. He did an excellent job controlling the running game but continued to grade as a below-average pitch framer. He had improved but still fringy grades as a blocker.

The Padres don’t necessarily need to make a move. Fermin still has a pair of minor league options remaining. Campusano has enough offensive ability to work more frequently at DH. At the same time, it makes sense for them to seriously explore if either player can net them a potential back-end starter. Both players are into their arbitration window. Campusano is controllable for two more seasons and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $1.7MM salary. Fermin is projected at $2.6MM and has three years of club control, assuming he doesn’t spend essentially an entire season optioned to the minors.

The Yankees have been looking for a right-handed hitting catcher to pair with Austin Wells. Texas, Minnesota and the A’s currently only have one catcher (Danny Jansen, Victor Caratini, and Shea Langeliers respectively) on their 40-man rosters. The Twins are trying to re-sign Ryan Jeffers but would need to pivot if he signs elsewhere. Cincinnati will need to replace free agent Tyler Stephenson if they don’t bring him back. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported this morning that the Marlins were in the backup catching market. That’s also true of the Phillies and could be the case for the Guardians, Astros, Angels, Nationals, White Sox, Giants, Red Sox and Cubs to varying degrees.