Padres Trade For Royals Catcher Freddy Fermin

ESPN's Jeff Passan is reporting that the San Diego Padres have traded for catcher Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals. 

The full return package is Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. Following the team's earlier blockbuster for Mason Miller, Bergert ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline.

Fermin fills a gigantic need in San Diego as the new starting catcher. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado have been platooning in the role for most of the season, producing a combined -1.0 fWAR in just shy of 400 plate appearances. It stands to reason that one will be released following this trade; Diaz has historically been the better offensive catcher but has posted a paltry 67 wRC+ this season, while Maldonado is renowned for his glove work but remains a complete zero at the plate (62 wRC+, 35.4% strikeout rate).

Fermin, a right-handed hitter, has played in 67 games for the Royals this season, slashing .255/.309/.339 in 208 plate appearances. His 78 wRC+ is below league-average for catchers this season but still a big step up from what the Padres have gotten this year, and his strong work behind the plate should cover for any shortcomings in his bat. He ranks in the 90th percentile in pop time this year, and his framing and blocking work has long been considered above average.

With just three home runs on the year and a meager .083 ISO, he won't be providing a ton of power to the lineup, though he remains excellent at avoiding strikeouts (17.8% strikeout rate this season). As always, it's very difficult to throw catchers into the fire during the middle of the season by asking them to learn a new pitching staff and run-prevention philosophy/system, but Fermin is a veteran who should be able to make the transition relatively seamless. For what it's worth, he's caught a number of Padres alumni in recent seasons, including Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.

As for the players leaving San Diego, Kolek is a legitimately good starting pitcher having a successful season in 2025. In 14 starts (79 2/3 innings) with the big league club this season, the 28-year-old righty has authored a tidy 4.18 ERA and 4.23 FIP. This is probably his ceiling, but he's got 4.5 years of team control remaining. It's hard to imagine the front office was thrilled about surrendering him, even with Fermin matching his half-decade of cheap control remaining.

The centerpiece in the deal, though, is Bergert, a 25-year-old who impressed in his MLB debut with the Padres this season. In 11 appearances (seven starts) in San Diego, he's recorded a 2.78 ERA and 4.24 FIP. His Triple-A stats (4.03 ERA, 5.43 FIP in 11 starts) aren't quite as impressive, though he's another MLB-ready starter with tons of control remaining. Those are valuable assets, and it's a bit surprising to see the Padres give up two of them in the same deal, especially for a good-not-great catcher in Fermin.

Nevertheless, this is another need-filling trade by A.J. Preller and company. With a few hours left until the deadline, there's no telling what else his front office will do.