Padres holding trade talks in hopes of addressing roster gap

The San Diego Padres are looking to address one of the largest gaps in their roster, and they could do so with a trade. A slow off-season with minimal signings now has the Padres scrambling for any way to improve the team, and after losing last season's addition Kyle Higashioka to the Rangers in free agency, the Padres are in desperate need of a proven MLB catcher.

Recent news reported by The Athletic has revealed the Padres have held talks with the Minnesota Twins over a potential deal for catcher Christian Vazquez. Vazquez, who is entering his 11th year in the league, had a rough year at the plate for the Twins, but still has upside in his defensive abilities.

Catcher options dwindling for San Diego

Losing Higashioka opened up a massive hole in the Padres roster that the team did not seem all that ready to address. Left with Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan as the only catchers on the roster, adding another seemed like a given after the disappointing seasons both put up. The need was barely addressed when the Padres signed 14-year veteran Martin Maldonado to a minor league contract, who batted an abysmal .119 in 48 games with the White Sox last season. Maldonado's addition is hopefully not the Padres final attempt at a catcher replacement.

A trade for Vazquez would be an immediate upgrade over the three catchers San Diego currently has, and could allow the team to look at other needs to fulfill. Although not the best offensive catcher, putting up a .221/.248/.327 line with the Twins in 2024, adding Vazquez would take away a large workload from Campusano, allowing him to better develop under a veteran presence.

The biggest question in the potential trade is the contract. Vazquez is heading into the final year of a three-year deal that will see him earn $10 million in 2025, a number that the Padres may not be able to afford. If the trade were to go through, San Diego would be looking for Minnesota to eat some of the contract. The Twins however, are also one of the many teams interested in Padres pitcher Dylan Cease, who is owed $13.75 million in 2025. With the Padres looking to shed payroll and hopefully get under the luxury tax threshold, any trade talks will surely involve Cease's name.

However any catcher additions the Padres could make will surely be as a temporary option while waiting for Ethan Salas to make his debut. The 18-year-old prospect is the Padres number one prospect, and is expected to make his MLB debut sometime around the 2027 season.