The Padres have one of the more unusual roster problems in baseball right now: too much catching talent and not enough innings to go around.
That kind of surplus has a way of drawing interest, and San Diego is already hearing plenty of it. Rookie Ethan Salas has climbed quickly through the system and put himself in the mix for next season, Luis Campusano hit well as the starter, and Freddy Fermin still gives the club a reliable defensive presence with a little offense sprinkled in.
“It’s a good situation,” said GM A.J. Preller in a writeup from AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
There’s no public indication that the Padres have singled out one catcher for a move, but Cassavell noted there is a “bit of a logjam” behind the plate. With only so many games available, it’s hard to give all three the kind of reps they need. Campusano looks like the most obvious trade candidate because of his track record and the kind of return he could fetch, though both he and Salas could also fit as bench bats.
Craig Stammen leaned on the group late in games down the stretch and into the playoffs, but that sort of arrangement usually doesn’t last over a full season. That reality, along with San Diego’s many rotation needs, keeps the door open for a deal.
Preller was also asked whether he needed three or four starters to round out the rotation, and his answer was “keep going.” The Padres have a long list of pitchers who could come back from free agency, but some of those options are shaky.
Michael King and Nick Pivetta sit at the top of the free-agent pitching board, and Cassavell added that Preller “wont’t hang up the phone” when he gets these calls.
Salas is the biggest wild card in all of this. He’s the future right now, but there’s still no certainty he can keep matching the huge promise he showed late in the season.
Preller isn’t alone in trying to sort through it. With the lockout looming in just under three weeks, the GM meetings have turned into a scramble, and every front office is operating in unfamiliar territory.
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