Three reasonable trade options for Padres at catcher
May 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin (34) hits a RBI single against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
The Padres desperately need to upgrade their catcher group. Here are three realistic avenues for San Diego to upgrade the position.
The Padres are bad at catcher. It’s quite simple. They rank 29th in fWAR for catchers as a team and 28th in wRC+. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado are one of the worst combinations in the league. If the Padres have visions of making the postseason, they must do better at catcher. The trade deadline looms in just over two weeks. The time is now for the Padres to make a move to improve at catcher.
Austin Wynns, Athletics
When the Reds designated Wynns for assignment earlier this season, it seemed like a slam dunk for the Padres to pick him up. Unfortunately, the A’s were ahead of San Diego in the claim order and worked out a deal with Cincinnati. However, Wynn is playing only sparingly for the A’s, with just 17 appearances. After posting a massive 1.142 OPS in limited action with the Reds, that has dropped to .854 overall for the season.
This would be a massive wild-card move for the Padres, given that Wynns is very unproven. Still, anything Wynn could give offensively is a major upgrade for the Padres. Plus, it should not cost any of the top 10 prospects to acquire him.
Freddy Fermin, Royals
While the Padres acquiring possible Hall of Famer Salvador Perez from Kansas City is unrealistic, trading for his backup makes more sense. Fermin possesses a cannon-throwing arm and gets praise for framing. Plus, his offense is better than anything the Padres are getting at the moment.
This year, Fermin is batting .275 in 55 games with a .690 OPS and 94 OPS+. If that sounds unimpressive, the Padres catchers currently possess a 62 and 42 OPS+, respectively. Fermin is head-and-shoulders a better hitter than Elias Diaz or Martin Maldonado at this point.
Given that Fermin is under team control for the next four seasons at a reasonable price and is showing signs of being at least a league-average catcher, he certainly won’t come free. The Padres may need to send a couple of MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects the Royals’ way to pry Fermin away.
Ryan Jeffers, Twins
As mentioned in a previous article, Jeffers is the ideal catching trade target for the Padres. He has been one of the main catchers in Minnesota for several seasons. He swatted 21 homers last year with a .703 OPS. The 28-year-old is under contract for 2026 as well. He has 20-homer power and boasts solid plate discipline.
The Padres currently have two veterans at catcher with zero offensive value. Jeffers is a veteran with a career .739 OPS. He would be one of the biggest upgrades the Padres could feasibly find on the trade market this summer at catcher.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.