Padres’ catcher market push proves Freddy Fermin is more bridge than franchise piece

Freddy Fermin wasn't perfect after joining the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline, but his all-around contributions were a huge boost after the team received practically nothing from its catchers in the first half.

Fermin provided strong defense while hitting .244/.278/.339 in 42 games with San Diego, good for a 75 wRC+. He produced in the postseason and brought stability to the weakest position on the roster. With four years of team control remaining via arbitration, it's hard to call his acquisition anything but a success.

However, he's not elite in any one area of the game, and prior to joining the Friars, he had spent the majority of his career as Salvador Perez's backup in Kansas City. At 30 years old and with a middling-at-best bat, Fermin is hardly the best the Padres can do at the position.

As such, it shouldn't be too much of a surprising to hear the Jim Bowden of The Athletic mentioned the Padres as one of the teams most aggressively seeking catcher upgrades at the General Manager Meetings.

Padres could seek backup or upgrade for Freddy Fermin, depending on trade market

"I find the catching market interesting as the Nationals have joined the Rays, Padres, Astros, Brewers and Rangers in making calls to improve their depth at the position," Bowden wrote. "The teams getting the most calls and texts about catchers are the Orioles (on Adley Rutschman), the Royals (on prospect Blake Mitchell), the White Sox (on Edgar Quero) and the Mariners (on prospect Harry Ford)."

Insofar as the Padres are involved for any of those players, Rutschman makes the most sense as the established big leaguer among the group. The Orioles' star backstop has been caught in trade rumors ever since Baltimore's disastrous start to the 2025 season, but it's possible the team doesn't want to sell low on its franchise catcher.

Again, those are just the names Bowden was willing to speak on. There are surely other catchers available that could serve as an upgrade over Fermin, though unless the Padres opt to sign aging receiver J.T. Realmuto in free agency, they'll probably have to go the trade route to find him.

Also, it's important to note that Bowden says the Padres are among a group of teams making calls to "improve their depth" at the position. Yes, all the names he floated would serve as big-name acquisitions, but it's also possible the Padres are looking for a No. 2 backstop who would serve as Fermin's backup.

No matter what avenue they take, it's a promising sign that the Padres are looking to be agressive behind the plate this winter. Their Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado duo rightfully scarred them, and given how Luis Campusano's development has stalled, bringing in a platoon partner or outright upgrade over Fermin should be a priority over the offseason.