Padres reporter lists two prospects that fans will want to pay attention to originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Diego Padres have been known to trade some high-profile prospects from time to time. Not many can forget when they sent CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, and Jarlin Susana to the Washington Nationals to acquire Juan Soto at the trade deadline during the 2022 season.
More recently, they sent MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries, their No. 3 prospect Branden Nett, No. 13 prospect Henry Baez, and No. 17 prospect the Athletics way in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears.
Before being traded, De Vries was the club’s top prospect. That title now falls on catcher Ethan Salas, who is ranked as MLB’s 77th-best prospect.
Padres reporter lists two prospects that fans will want to pay attention to
While the Padres have gotten rid of some quality prospects over the years, they still have players in their system that fans should be excited about. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell lists two prospects that fans will want to start paying attention to.
“Ethan Salas is the Padres’ top prospect, and it’s hard to overstate just how important his 2026 season will be. After missing nearly the entire ’25 campaign with a stress reaction in his lower back, Salas needs to prove he’s still capable of tapping into the potential that once had him as a consensus top-10 overall pick.”
Cassavell states that the 2026 season will be important for Salas, as he needs to make up for missing the 2025 season. He also mentions Miguel Mendez as another prospect that fans will want to get familiar with.
“At the GM Meetings, Preller named him as a prospect who could make an impact with the big league club this season.”
Mendez is the club’s No. 5 prospect. He was signed in February 2021 out of the Dominican Republic at 18 years old. He is a right-handed pitcher who can throw his four-seamer 100 mph, with a mid-80s slider that keeps opposing batters on their toes. He has a high chance of pitching meaningful innings for the Padres in 2026.
