Attention, A.J. Preller.
Please hold on to Ethan Salas.
This Padres team hasn’t earned another go-for-it summer trade of a top prospect.
Despite no other bullpen having a better tandem than Mason Miller and Adrián Morejón, the Padres aren’t as capable as the recent Padres clubs that inspired go-for-it moves.
Even if the Tigers were to like Salas enough to trade ace pitcher Tarik Skubal for him and others, I doubt it would be a good idea for the Padres to do it.
It will take 13 postseason victories to win a World Series. Even with Skubal, the Padres would be big underdogs to climb that mountain and might not even make the trailhead.
Padres hitters aren’t honoring the huge Swinging Friar logo that’s woven into the home clubhouse carpet. Following Wednesday’s 23-3 loss to the Cubs in Chicago, the Padres’ offense ranks 30th — last in baseball — in runs scored and runs created, and is second-to-last in slugging percentage, ahead of only Cleveland.
If the Tony Gwynn ballpark statue weeps in the dark, it’s due to the Padres’ majors-worst .224 batting average.
And the club’s starting rotation might be worse than the offense.
Inspiring the most skepticism about trading Salas, the starters sit 26th in ERA, 27th in innings pitched and 29th in quality starts and won’t soon regain Nick Pivetta or Joe Musgrove.
Further arguing against Preller going large to get Skubal is that the Scott Boras client, 29, can become a free agent in November.
When Preller traded James Wood and two other top prospects for Juan Soto in 2023 and No. 1 minor leaguer Leo de Vries for Miller last summer, both Soto and Miller were more than two years from free agency.
Ethan Salas of the San Diego Padres catches during their spring training game against Great Britain at Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
As for Salas?
He’s a good prospect.
The 6-foot-1 catcher is having a fine bounce-back season after a stress reaction in his back scuttled most of 2025.
A left-handed hitter who returned Tuesday from an oblique strain that sidelined him for 10 days, Salas has batted .277 with seven home runs, 10 doubles and a .347 on-base average in 56 games. Telling us good luck isn’t involved, the expected numbers are in line with those statistics.
Four weeks past his 20th birthday, Salas is very young for the Texas League and plays in a pitchers’ ballpark where he has a .299 batting average. four home runs, seven doubles, and an .815 OPS in 134 plate appearances.
On Wednesday, Salas was named to the July 12 Futures Game in Philadelphia.
Defensively, Salas is controlling the strike zone better than most minor league hitters do.
Mike Daly, the Padres’ assistant director of player development, said Salas responded to last year’s injury by learning additionally from several former catchers in the organization. “He’s taken it into the 2026 season,” Daly said, citing improvements in game planning, forging relationships with pitchers and getting pitchers through difficult innings.
Physically, Salas has gained strength.
He has improved his swing speed to 70 miles per hour, up one tick from last year. And he has 13 stolen bases in 17 tries.
I asked two non-Padres scouts about Salas, who grew up in Venezuela.
“I’m a bit bullish on where he’s headed despite the (physical) setbacks,” one said. “Seems to be about health with him, and I believe he’s healthy. I know he has excellent makeup.”
Regarding Salas’ floor and upside, another scout sees him as no less than a future platoon catcher who plays against right-handed pitching. Noting that he’s “really young,” the scout offered no forecast of Salas’ upside. “MLB pitching will be a big test,” he said.
Preller will have his hands full, too, overseeing both the draft and the trade market. Preller commands respect from other executives who know that’s he’s prone to making trades.
If he decides to strengthen this club’s bid for a wild-card berth — and it can’t hurt to give hope to Padres players — the best options would be to try to buy a player, deal lesser prospects or both.