BREAKING: Padres acquire Royals catcher Freddy Fermin
The Padres have added a catcher to their roster ahead of the trade deadline, but it came at the expense of two young starting pitchers.
After their trade this morning, there were a lot of rumblings that A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres were still looking to acquire a catcher and an outfielder before this afternoon's MLB trade deadline.
Now, it appears they've found their catcher in Freddy Fermin, formerly of the Kansas City Royals.
Full trade between San Diego and Kansas City, per ESPN sources:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
Padres receive: C Freddy Fermin
Royals receive: RHP Ryan Bergert, RHP Stephen Kolek
Fermin was a bit of a late-bloomer, not making it to the majors until he was 27 years old. I couldn't tell you much about the guy, but the stats seem to dictate that he fits the mold of other Padres catchers: strong on defense and a bit lighter on offense.
Fermin's .648 OPS this season would be the highest amongst the Padres catchers this year. We'll see if that ends up being enough for him to take the roster spot of Martín Maldonado. For now, it was enough for the team to part with Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek.
Bergert, the Padres #7 prospect according to MLB.com, has started 7 games for the Padres this season. His 2.78 ERA and his 8.6 strikeouts per 9 innings undoubtedly give the Royals hope that he could be a solid starter, under team control for quite a while.
Kolek is something of a success story for the Padres pitching development. He was taken as a Rule V draft pick last year and spent the season pitching in mostly low-leverage situations out of the bullpen. This year, he has been turned into a starting pitcher (starting 14 games for San Diego) and has been more effective across the board.
This move potentially opens up a spot in the rotation for JP Sears, acquired earlier today from the A's, but we'll see if any further moves are made by the Padres before 3pm PT.
