The San Diego Padres acquired Freddy Fermin just a few weeks ago at the trade deadline. The club was looking for a boost in their backstop after Martin Maldonado and Elias Diaz underperformed both offensively and defensively.
Fermin was acquired from the Kansas City Royals for right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. It was a bold move as Bergert and Kolek had potential, but San Diego desperately needed a change at catcher.
So far, the slugger has appeared in 20 games, hitting .254/.299/.333 with two doubles, one home run, and six runs batted in. During times he has caught, San Diego has gone 12-8.
He has jumped right into the catching duties with a new staff and has taken that in stride. He spoke about working with his new pitchers and how important it is to be in such important games early, via MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.
“The learning process with them, doing it in such important games, such important moments, I think there’s a benefit to it,” said Fermin. “That’s a process that I want to build here, too, learning from each pitcher, going to their strengths.”
A.J. Preller is setting his club up for success now and in the future
It was apparent that A.J. Preller was looking to push the envelope this season by acquiring players like Freddy Fermin, Ramon Laureano, and Mason Miller. All three have played big roles in the limited time they have been in San Diego thus far.
Laureano has a $6 million team option that is likely being picked up during the offseason, while Miller and Fermin are both under team control through the 2029 season. Preller made sure the acquisitions were not just short-term helpers for the 2025 season. He now has a solid core going into 2026.
