With the Padres sitting at 37-36 and holding the second of three Wild Card spots, there’s a lot of speculation that they will be very active approaching the trade deadline. If recent history is any indicator, then GM AJ Preller likely has a few proposals up his sleeve.
However, with former Padres like OF James Wood, SS CJ Abrams and SP Mackenzie Gore (all traded for Juan Soto) starting to perform at a high level, he’s also well aware of the value in retaining young talent with upside.
That’s why this article will cover three prospects who the Padres should absolutely not let go of in any trade scenario.
C Ethan Salas
Salas is the hottest commodity among catching prospects. He’s ranked as the Padres’ No. 1 prospect as well as MLB.com’s No. 5 prospect in all of baseball.
He was just 17 years old when he made his first appearance in the Padres minor league system and he impressed from the very beginning. Through three levels (AA, A+ and A), he’s had 445 at-bats, accumulating a .671 OPS. Not too bad for someone who turned 18 in early June.
The Padres have seemed to slow down how aggressively they’re pushing him through the minors for now as he’s spent all of 2024 at A+ with the Fort Wayne Tin Caps. However, MLB.com predicts him to make his major league debut in 2025 at 19 years old.
LHP Robby Snelling
In 2022, the Padres selected Snelling in the first round of the MLB Draft. So far, he’s proven to be worth the pick. He had his first year playing professional baseball for San Diego in 2023 and he was lights out. He earned a 1.82 ERA in 103.2 innings in AA, A+ and A.
MLB.com ranks him as the Padres No. 2 prospect and No. 25 in MLB. He’s extremely well-rounded with an above-average fastball as well as a plus curveball with above-average control. “Snelling has long drawn strong reviews with his ability to manipulate his spin, adding and subtracting velo as needed while changing shape,” MLB.com noted.
If all goes well, Snelling could be making his MLB debut in 2025 right along with Salas.
SS Leodalis De Vries
The Padres double-dipped on top international prospects in consecutive years when they signed Salas in 2023 and then De Vries in 2024. The 17-year-old is already MLB.com’s No. 79 prospect and the Padres’ fourth-best.
He has a unique combination of above-average power, hitting, arm and plus speed. What makes him even more valuable is his ability to hit from both batting boxes. “A switch-hitter, De Vries already impresses all evaluators with his pitch recognition, discipline and barrel control. He doesn’t expand the zone much against pitchers of any experience level nor is he one to swing and miss much, if at all,” MLB.com noted.
Though he plays at an already extremely crowded position for the Padres, he isn’t projected to appear in the major leagues until 2028 and by then a lot could change with the current roster.