An All-Star catcher, once dominant, is now available. Could he provide the desperately needed depth for San Diego's struggling roster?
The catcher position for the San Diego Padres is certainly not the strongest on the roster, leaving the door open for a late-winter addition to help solidify the premium position. A recent Bleacher Report article has listed the Padres as a fit for the top free agent catcher remaining on the market.
Jonah Heim is a free agent after being non-tendered by the Texas Rangers earlier in the offseason. After spending the last five seasons with the club, Heim enters free agency for the first time in his career at 30 years old.
He’s not the star name that San Diego fans would love to add this offseason, but the club clearly isn’t in the position to sign the stars of this year’s free agency class. He recorded a .602 OPS and 11 home runs last season for the Rangers in 124 games. It’s not numbers that wow by any means, but Heim would provide some much-needed depth at the position for the Padres.
Heim was an All-Star during the 2023 season, meaning he’s not too far removed from being one of the best catchers in baseball. During that campaign, Heim hit 18 home runs, drove in 95 runs, recorded a .755 OPS, and won the Gold Glove award. Though he’s seen regression over the last couple of seasons, a step back towards that level of production would be enough for a team like the Padres.
For now, San Diego’s 2025 trade acquisition Freddy Fermin is the main guy behind the plate. He recorded a .617 OPS in his 42 games with the Friars last season. He’s not a liability at the catcher position, but he’s the only legitimate option the Padres have heading into 2026. Finding somebody like Heim to pair up with Fermin would help ease a lot of stress among followers of the club.
Luis Campusano is currently Fermin’s backup, but he’s far from reliable. He played just 10 games for San Diego in 2025, but he posted a woeful -31 OPS+ in that time. At 27 years old, Campusano has a -0.7 war in his 178 career games for the Padres.
The market for catchers has been fairly slow this offseason, but that could end up working well for the Padres, who still have a need at the position. With Heim’s name at the top of the list of remaining catchers available, general manager A.J. Preller should act fast to land a safety net behind Fermin.