Padres banking on backup catcher situation to resolve itself due to lack of depth

The Padres can spin it however they want, but the message behind their catching plan is pretty loud: please, just let this work out.

Freddy Fermin is the starter now — and by all accounts, the pitching staff already trusts him, which is the one thing that actually matters in February.  But the bigger story in camp isn’t Fermin. It’s what happens the second he needs a breather, or misses time.

Padres may regret how little they did to protect Freddy Fermin this spring

AJ Cassavell laid it out plainly while ranking the most important Padres to watch this spring: the team is “clearly banking” on Luis Campusano finally sticking as a viable No. 2 option — and they didn’t add another true big-league catching option this winter. 

Campusano is the obvious hinge point. He has the arm talent, he’s been around long enough, and the Padres need him to be more than a name on the depth chart. But if this is another spring where he looks like a tweener — not trusted enough to catch consistently, not valuable enough to justify carrying as a bat-first reserve — then the Padres are suddenly one awkward week away from scrambling.

And that’s where Blake Hunt enters the chat.

Hunt is 27, back in the organization that drafted him, and he’s here because the Padres needed something behind their top two. He’s on a minor-league deal and reads like classic “break glass in case of emergency” depth: big body, defense-first, familiar with the grind, and capable of catching a staff without turning every inning into an adventure.  The problem? If that’s your safety net, you’re operating from a position of hope.

The scary part is how quickly this can snowball. Catching isn’t like plugging in a fifth outfielder. Game-calling, rapport, blocking, controlling the run game — it’s the position that touches every pitch. If Fermin is solid but needs regular rest, the Padres can’t afford a backup they don’t fully trust. And right now, the whole plan hinges on Campusano becoming that guy.

Ethan Salas is the shiny future name, but he’s not walking through that door in April, and even the Padres are treating his spring as “get healthy reps” after a lost 2025. 

The Padres can get away with this. Fermin can be steady. Campusano can finally click. Hunt can be adequate depth. But if even one of those “cans” turns into “can’t,” this roster is going to feel the catcher shortage fast — and in the most inconvenient way possible.