After a busy MLB trade deadline for the San Diego Padres, it seems that general manager A.J. Preller wasn’t done acquiring talent from other teams.
Although the deadline had already passed for the Padres to acquire players from other 40-man rosters throughout the league, San Diego was able to make a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates regarding an up-and-coming prospect in the minor leagues.
The Padres acquired Triple-A catcher Eli Wilson from the Pirates on Aug. 2, according to the MiLB.com transaction list.. Wilson, 27, was drafted in the 16th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
A deal like this was able to be made as the MLB trade deadline only applies to players on major league rosters. Wilson is still on a minor league contract and has yet to make his MLB debut.
The right-handed catching prospect from Seattle, Washington, has worked his way up to Triple-A baseball in 2025. Through 11 games played for the Pirates’ affiliate, Wilson has impressive stat lines that include a .294 batting average, .314 on-base percentage, .441 slugging percentage, and a .755 OPS with one home run and seven RBI.
After being traded, the Padres assigned Wilson to Double-A San Antonio on Aug. 3 and activated him on Aug. 5.
Eli Wilson will compete with multiple other catching prospects on the Double-A San Antonio roster that includes the Padres’ No. 1 prospect, Ethan Salas, as well as other names like Oswaldo Linares, Andy Thomas, and Anthony Vilar.
The Padres’ desire for catching depth has stemmed from their lack of a consistent bat at the major league level. Newly acquired Freddy Fermin and Elias Diaz are the two current catchers on San Diego’s 26-man roster.
