Padres trade Kolek and Bergert to Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin
Credit: AP Photo
The San Diego Padres traded Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to the Kansas City Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin.
It is MLB trade season.
The San Diego Padres are front and center.
A.J. Preller is not one to be shy, as the Padres traded for flamethrower Mason Miller earlier in the day. The Padres traded the A’s their No.1 prospect Leodalis De Vries in the deal, along with three of their top pitching prospects.
In their next move, the Padres sent Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to Kansas City for catcher Freddy Fermin.
The Padres were desperate for catching help and moved two starters they utilized in the rotation this season to upgrade.
Full trade between San Diego and Kansas City, per ESPN sources:
Padres receive: C Freddy Fermin
Royals receive: RHP Ryan Bergert, RHP Stephen Kolek
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
Fermin is 30 and played three years with the Royals at the major league level, posting a .697 OPS in 755 at-bats. The right-handed hitter is known for his glove, where he is excellent behind the plate.
He owns a .648 OPS in 192 at-bats as the backup catcher to Salvador Perez. In that span, he has put up 1.1 WAR and recorded a 3.0 WAR last year for Kansas City. Fermin has never been a starting catcher in the major leagues, and this could be a huge opportunity for him. He is under team control through the 2029 season.
Kolek and Bergert were serviceable for the Padres, but the team also acquired JP Sears with Mason Miller from the A’s earlier in the day, and he will help fill their void in the rotation.
Preller and the Padres also need outfield help and a few veterans to come off the bench. There are a few hours until the deadline, so stay tuned.
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worst GM ever. He is aggressively incompetent, which is really hard to do.
The Miller trade was abhorrent. This is beyond baffling. No one can make sense of the value here, which is Preller’s calling card. Pitching is always of utmost value, yet he trades 2 young and controllable pitchers for a 30 year old back up catcher who can’t hit? They already have 2 old back up, defensive-minded catchers who can’t hit. Now they will cut one, and not move the needle much at the catcher position. Meanwhile, Preller just gave away a ton of value, and 2 young starters who actually helped this year’s club a lot.