San Diego Padres Draw Trade Interest in Catchers Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano

The San Diego Padres have emerged as a focal point in the catching market this offseason, drawing trade calls from rival clubs concerning backstops Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano. According to reports from The San Diego Union-Tribune, the front office is expected to move at least one of these two experienced catchers before Opening Day.

This potential roster crunch is largely driven by the rapid development of Ethan Salas. Regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, the young catcher earned a late-season debut and made three postseason starts at just 20 years old, while also posting a .296/.374/.448 batting line against older competition in the high minor leagues. With Salas poised to assume the mantle of franchise catcher, both Fermin and Campusano have become valuable surplus assets for San Diego.

The two catchers offer contrasting skill sets to interested suitors. Fermin brings elite defensive value, highlighted by superior pitch framing, blocking, and a reputation for guiding pitching staffs, though his bat remains light after slashing .203/.274/.315 across 96 games. Campusano profiles quite differently, showing strong offensive capability with a .265/.363/.433 slash line and eight home runs in 248 plate appearances, alongside two remaining seasons of control and a projected $1.7MM salary. Fermin carries a projected $2.6MM salary with three years of club control.

A wide swath of the league is currently scouring the market for catching depth. Organizations such as the New York Yankees, Texas, Minnesota, Oakland, and Miami are among the numerous teams searching for catching help or right-handed hitting options to fortify their 40-man rosters.

What to watch next: Monitor whether the Padres can leverage one of their available catchers to secure a back-end starting pitcher during the winter meetings.