LAS VEGAS -- The Padres are under no obligation to move a catcher this winter. Sure, they’ve got three of them, but that trio worked seamlessly together down the stretch.
Of course, decent catching is hard to come by. So you’d better believe the rest of the league is interested in the Padres’ options behind the plate -- namely Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano. General manager A.J. Preller essentially confirmed that trade interest on Tuesday from the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
“It’s a good situation,” Preller said of his catchers. “But it’s also an area that we’ve been hit on already by other teams, in terms of teams looking for catching depth, knowing that we have three really good ones. We’ll see how it plays out.”
How it fits
With Ethan Salas set to enter what would officially qualify as his rookie season, there would seem to be a bit of a logjam. But the Padres proved down the stretch that there are roles where all three catchers can be useful on the same roster.
“We think their games complement each other,” Preller said.
It’s the second time in less than a month that Preller has touted his three-catcher setup. And he’s not wrong. Fermin is the defense-first option. Campusano is the bat-first option. And Salas is the lefty bat who seems to bring enough to the table on both sides of the ball.
Those skill sets afforded manager Craig Stammen room for in-game maneuvering. Stammen often pinch-hit for one catcher knowing he had at least one more in reserve. He used Campusano and Salas as pinch-hitters or DH options themselves.
So, no, it’s not bluster when Preller says he’d be content to enter the season with three options behind the plate -- especially considering the rigors of the position.
“When you think you have some catching, then there’s an injury,” Preller said. “Which can happen at that spot, and all of a sudden you’re searching for catching. [Depth] is something that we’ve built up at that spot. We have three players that we feel like we can win in the playoffs with at that position. We don’t take that lightly. Ultimately, there’s a lot of value in that.”
The benefit of moving a catcher
All of the above can be true. This much is also true: The Padres desperately need pitching.
Preller was asked Tuesday how many starters he needed to add to his rotation. Three? Four?
“Keep going,” he quipped.
Indeed, the Padres are losing essentially an entire rotation’s worth of starting pitchers. Michael King and Nick Pivetta are free agents (though Preller acknowledged Tuesday that the Padres remain interested in bringing both back). So are Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Lucas Giolito and Griffin Canning.
Which means … if someone comes calling about Campusano or Fermin … and offers rotation help in exchange … Preller won’t hang up the phone.
Both Fermin and Campusano are due raises in arbitration, but presumably nothing exorbitant. They’re affordable catchers with multiple years of control remaining. They’d presumably fetch a solid return. (Salas, the Padres’ top prospect per MLB Pipeline, is presumably off-limits.)
Campusano batted .265 with a .795 OPS last season. Fermin started slowly and finished with an OPS of just .589. But he was a Gold Glove finalist and was much better at the plate in the second half.
“What Campy’s done … he’d shown some flashes of it previously in the big leagues, and to do that consistently this year was a big thing for us,” Preller said. “And Freddy, second half of the season, was the Freddy that we traded for and we saw at the end of ‘25.”
The Salas factor
The most important question in all of this is: What can the Padres expect from Salas next year?
He earned his callup when rosters expanded in September, then batted .256 with a .737 OPS while proving capable behind the plate.
Still, catching regularly in the big leagues is a tall task. There’s a reason nobody had played a game behind the plate at such a young age since Ivan Rodriguez. The Padres believe deeply in Salas as their future at catcher. That doesn’t mean they expect him to be an All-Star in 2027. He’s 20.
To hear Preller tell it, there are no guarantees Salas is even on the Opening Day roster.
“Go out and compete, try and win that spot,” Preller said.
It’s the right message. Of course, if the Padres were to trade one of their catchers, there wouldn’t be much to compete for. Salas’ roster spot would seem to be secure.
Then again, considering the needs elsewhere on the roster, trading a catcher is something the Padres absolutely should -- and will -- consider.