Injuries sidelined him, but catcher Ethan Salas's 2026 season is crucial for his prospect ranking and Padres' future.
With the aggressiveness of the San Diego Padres in recent years, it’s not a surprise that the club doesn’t have one of the stronger farm systems in baseball. In fact, San Diego is viewed as having one of the worst in the league after repeatedly trading away top prospects for MLB-proven talent.
It’s resulted in multiple postseason appearances and back-to-back seasons of at least 90 wins, but there still hasn’t been any hardware to show for their efforts. General manager A.J. Preller is one of the most aggressive in baseball, even trading away one of baseball’s top prospects in shortstop Leo De Vries at the trade deadline last season. This strategy has left San Diego thin in the prospects department.
On Wednesday, Baseball America released its 2026 top 100 prospects list, and only one Padres prospect made the cut. Catcher Ethan Salas is the lone player in the Padres’ system to feature on the list, coming in at No. 90.
It’s a big drop for Salas, who was ranked at No. 31 last season and at No. 8 in 2023. Though he didn’t perform great in 2025 when he was on the field, he wasn’t on the field much at all. Salas played just 10 games last season with the Padres' Double-A affiliate. In his short sample size, he logged just six hits in 32 at-bats. His .544 OPS didn't do much to convince scouts of a higher placement on the list, but he didn’t get a full shot to prove himself as one of the best prospects in baseball last season due to his lower back injury.
His placement may have dropped in Baseball America’s list, but his potential is certainly still there. The Padres signed Salas out of Venezuela in the 2023 international signing window for $5.6 million. The then 16-year-old was the consensus to prospect in that year’s international window.
There’s still much to work on with Salas’ raw bat, but his defensive ability leaves no questions unanswered. He’s improved at stopping the running game and has become a better blocker and framer since joining the Friars system. He practically lost a year of development in 2025, but his return to action in 2026 will be highly anticipated among the higher-ups in the Padres’ front office.
With their history of shipping off their top prospects, it’s not a guarantee that Salas will play in a Padres uniform at the major league level. The Padres have questionable depth at the catcher position, however, potentially making them inclined to hold onto the 19-year-old. 2026 will be the most crucial season yet for Salas, as he and the Padres will be counting on a bounce-back season after two seasons of sliding down top prospects lists.