Surprise Padres Player Emerging as Potential Yankees Trade Target

The San Diego Padres have struggled to find a consistent catcher over the last few seasons.

Last year, the Padres had a rotation of Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado before the team decided enough was enough and sent two young, controllable starting pitchers to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Freddy Fermin.

The Padres felt they had found their catcher for at least the next few seasons.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.

Fermin has struggled mightily this year, slashing .133/.237/.173 with zero home runs, four runs batted in and an OPS of .410. His OPS+ of 19 is 81% below league average, and he's suddenly at risk of losing his spot as the Padres starting catcher.

Fermin has been great defensively, which gives him some value in the catching department. That defensive reputation has even earned him a trade link to the New York Yankees with two months to go until this year's deadline.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post highlighted a few catchers the Yankees could look to target ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline to fix one of their biggest needs. Fermin was on the list.

"I mainly include him for two reasons: 1. The Yankees always liked him when he was a Royal. 2. San Diego head of baseball operations A.J. Preller is generally open to all things, and has traded so many prospects the past few years that he will have to get creative at the deadline to address his club’s needs," Sherman wrote.

"Does he think Luis Campusano (currently on the IL with a fractured toe) can handle the brunt of the catching, or would Preller be daring enough to promote his 20-year-old top prospect, Ethan Salas? Fermin was hitting just .133 with a .410 OPS, but .250/.698 vs. lefties, along with his strong defensive reputation."

The Padres are patiently waiting for Luis Campusano to return from his toe fracture. When he does, he should move into the starting role as he was hitting .288 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and an OPS of .958 across 18 games before the injury.

Campusano's replacement, Rodolfo Duran, is just 2-for-28 (.087) with an OPS of .467. But he's been great on defense, especially on ABS challenges and throwing out would-be base stealers.

The Padres could feel comfortable with Campusano as the starter and Duran as the backup for now. The team could also look to add a catcher at the deadline, while moving off of Fermin for some prospects that could help facilitate other deals.

Fermin is 31 years old and under team control until 2030, giving him plenty of value. However, he was a career backup on the Royals behind Salvador Perez and hasn't shown promising signs in his first year as a starter.

If the Padres could move on from Fermin and get back some assets, it would be a savvy move for the organization. Then, they could again look for their catcher of the present, until Ethan Salas is ready to take the reins (assuming he's not traded).

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