Fermin holds the starting spot, but a talented prospect eyes his chance as the Padres seemingly stand pat at catcher.
The San Diego Padres enter spring training with a lot of questions.
One of the biggest ones is the future of GM A.J. Preller, but nobody knows if an extension is coming or not.
Another question is regarding the catcher position.
Freddy Fermin, who was acquired at the deadline via a trade with the Kansas City Royals, looks to be the starting catcher when the season begins.
Fermin appeared in 42 regular-season games for the Padres, hitting .251 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
Another option is Luis Campusano, the talented prospect who has been up and down from the minor leagues to the big league club since 2020.
Reports surfaced this offseason that former manager Mike Shildt did not want to play Campusano, but with Craig Stammen in town as the new manager, that could be good news for Campusano.
Campusano played just 10 games in the big leagues in 2025, but he played in 91 games the year before. In 2025, he hit the ball well in the minors, batting .336 with 25 home runs and 95 RBIs.
And, AJ Preller's recent comments suggest that the team isn't looking too hard to add a catcher, at least right now.
“Ultimately, I think we looked at the value of the players we have as [being] behind the plate and catching, making that as good a group as we can have,” Preller said, via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “Go find some other value throughout other position-player additions.”
Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado were in San Diego last year as well. And, Ethan Salas, the highly-regarded prospect, is in camp, but it might be too early for Salas to get a cup of coffee with the big league club.
As far as the lineup goes, there is a scenario where Campusano is the designated hitter, and other options include Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar.
Nonetheless, all signs point to Fermin as the everyday catcher for now, but this might finally be the time for Campusano to see a lot of work and for San Diego to see whether or not he can be a part of the future.
Now, nobody ever knows what Preller has up his sleeve, and maybe he strikes a deal that nobody saw coming right before the season begins.
But, at least for the moment, the Padres seem content with Campusano and Fermin behind the plate.