San Diego Padres Arbitration Decisions & Projections: Freddy Fermin

Before the trade deadline, one of the most glaring holes on the San Diego Padres' roster was the catching position and the No. 9 slot in the batting order. Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado contributed 0.4 and a -0.8 fWAR, respectively, and were grading out poorly on defense. There was a shakeup that needed to happen to help the Padres push toward the playoffs.

On July 31, that shakeup mercifully came. The Padres traded for Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals, giving up both Ryan Berget and Stephen Kolek for a strong defensive catcher. Originally drafted in the by the Royals in 2015, Freddy Fermin came in and immediately took over everyday catching duties for the Friars:

• 42 Games 
• 139 Plate Appearances
• .244 BA 
• 2 HR
• 14 RBI’s
• .339 SLG
• .278 OBP
• 0.5 fWAR

Looking at his entire season, his numbers look consistent, meaning you can expect what you are going to get from him at the plate; not much power, but consistent contact:

• 109 Games
• 347 Plate Appearances
• .251 BA 
• 5 HR
• 26 RBI’s
• .339 SLG
• .297 OBP
• 1.0 fWAR

Fermin, 30, is entering his first arbitration-eligible season in 2026, and is projected to make around $1.8 million. Given the volatility of catcher production, the Padres must decide whether to treat him strictly as a veteran or catching optin, or explore a multi-year arrangement that provides cost certainty through his arbitration window. 

In the playoffs against the Chicago Cubs, Fermin proved to be one of the more effective hitters that the Padres had during that series:

• 3 Games
• 11 Plate Appearances
• 4 Hits (2 Singles and 2 Doubles)
• .364 BA

However, getting Fermin wasn’t necessarily about getting his bat, even though it was an upgrade from what the Padres previously had. He brought something that the Padres didn’t have before, which was quality defense from behind the plate. This was an area that the Padres needed to address, and should still address for next season. The trade that seemed more skewed toward favoring the Royals can be seen in a different light when you focus what Freddy Fermin’s best skill is:

• 4 Blocks Above Average (tied for 8th amongst all catchers)
• 1.90 Pop Time (11th amongst all catches, only 0.04 behind the league leader)
• 2 Catchers Caught Stealing Above Average (tied for 8th amongst all catchers)
• 11/44 Caught Stealing, 25% (tied for 11th amongst all catchers)

These stats all look good, but they look even better when you see what the Padres had before he came over at the trade deadline. Elias Díaz wasn’t bad scoring, a Blocks Above Average of 2, but he was sharing the catching duties with Martín Maldonado, who had a -9 figure, which was the third worst in the league. Combined, they only caught 10 people stealing while they had 78 attempts between the two of them. While the obvious way to win a baseball game is to score runs, stopping the other team from scoring runs wins just as many games.

The 2025 Padres were 30-23 in games decided by a single run, and they were 7-7 after the All-Star break. If those seven wins go the other way, the Padres would have been battling for the last Wild Card playoff spot instead of comfortably clinching it six days prior to the end of the season (after a walk-off hit by none other than Freddy Fermin). The Padres' previous catchers were allowing additional runs to be scored because of their inability to contain the basepaths; Fermin helped change that.

Of course, not all is perfect in San Diego. Freddy Fermin had a Catcher Framing Runs stat of -1, while Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado were at 2 and 0, respectively. This isn’t a huge issue in terms of everything else that he brings to the table, but it is something that the Padres will want to see an improvement in, especially with the ABS challenge system making its way to the big leagues in 2026.

Freddy Fermin may not headline arbitration discussion, but his combination of defensive reliability, and affordable control make him an important structural piece of the Padres roster. If he maintains his currency trajectory, he could quietly deliver above-average value for a fraction of the cost typically associated with stable major-league catching.