A.J. Preller’s latest comments all but take Ethan Salas off the Padres’ trade table

It sounds like Ethan Salas is staying put. A.J. Preller didn’t declare the Padres’ top prospect untouchable. But Preller’s message was pretty subtle. The Padres expect Salas to play at Petco Park. They aren’t developing him for somebody else.

“We see him as being a big part of the Padres’ future,” Preller said during an appearance on 97.3 The Fan.

So, maybe we can stop building imaginary trade packages around their 20-year-old catcher whom the organization still views as a foundational player. This is big because we know how Preller operates. The man has treated the transaction wire like his personal playground for more than a decade. Prospects have come and gone, and blockbusters have materialized without warning.

Ethan Salas could become the Padres’ next homegrown cornerstone

Still, don’t count Preller out. It just means the asking price would have to become absurd before this turns into a real conversation. The Padres have reached the point where protecting Salas is more important than chasing another short-lived spark. They invested a franchise-record $5.6 million international signing bonus in Salas in 2023. They aggressively challenged him with advanced minor-league assignments, watched him struggle at High-A and then lost most of his 2025 season to a lower-back stress reaction. But that patience is now being rewarded.

Salas has stayed healthy and restored his prospect stock at Double-A San Antonio. The offensive production has returned. More importantly, the qualities that initially made him such a prized prospect never disappeared. And Preller has already acknowledged that Salas possesses the natural ability to handle a major-league staff.

Salas remains a developing catcher, and catching might be the least forgiving position on the field. Learning how to guide an entire pitching staff takes time. So does building a major-league-caliber bat while carrying the physical and mental workload of the position.

The Padres can believe Salas is their future without rushing him. It sounds unusually patient for an org that sent Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill straight into the fire. In Salas’ case, it’s the right one.

Preller said it was exciting to imagine Salas playing at Petco. That’s a public statement of intent if we ever heard one. Salas represents a young, inexpensive position player capable of growing into a premium role, something the Padres desperately need. 

The current roster is loaded with expensive commitments, and they need homegrown contributors who can provide production without making the payroll even more top-heavy. A starting catcher with Salas’ upside would be a massive piece of that equation.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow