Padres Top Prospect Linked to AL East Contender in Potential Blockbuster Trade

San Diego Padres No. 2 prospect Ethan Salas is one of several potential targets The Athletic's Jim Bowden believes the Tampa Bay Rays should pursue before the trade deadline.

Bowden says the Rays are in need of a catcher with some offensive capabilities, and it is showing in their performances so far this season. The Rays began the season with Danny Jansen and Ben Rortvedt serving behind the plate, and they have since sent the latter to Triple-A after batting .095 in the bigs. Jansen is batting just below the Mendoza line with a .677 OPS and six home runs.

The Rays have already tried to amend their catching situation with trades, landing Matt Thaiss from the White Sox for outfielder Dru Baker May 28, however Thaiss is making a minimal impact for them. Through seven games, the 30-year-old is 4-for-18 with a .613 OPS and no extra base hits.

While these numbers aren't awful for a predominantly defensive position, the one thing the Rays lack that Salas has is youth. Salas is 19 years old and currently plays for Double-A San Antonio. Similar to the Rays' catchers, he has had a subpar offensive season, and is batting just .188 through 10 games with the Missions this season. He has been on the injured list since April 26.

Salas signed with the Padres before the 2023 season as the top-ranked international prospect in the class. He moved from Single-A to Double-A in 2023 before spending all of 2024 in High-A, where he slashed .206/.288/.311 in 111 games.

The Padres also look to be active near the trade deadline this season, as they have a glaring hole in left field and are looking to make a push into the playoffs. Salas is the No. 26 prospect in MLB, so the Padres will not sell their future catcher cheap.

Christopher Morel has played the largest share of games in left for the Rays this season, and they will likely need to send more than the 25-year-old to land Salas.

The Padres are in the middle of a heated NL West race, where they sit two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. While they won't want to part with their No. 2 prospect, they may be inclined to listen to an offer involving Salas if the Rays provide them with an offer that could win them the division for the first time since 2006.

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