SAN DIEGO -- The Padres’ farm system looks vastly different than it did only three months ago. It’s thinner at the top, with several impact prospects since traded elsewhere. The 2025 Trade Deadline was a wild day, after all -- one of the wildest days of transactions for any club in baseball history. In total, the Padres made five deals involving 22 players, and they recouped plenty of on-field value for those prospects. (They will do so for years to come, as well, with many of those acquisitions on board for 2026 and beyond, including Mason Miller and Freddy Fermin.) Still, reports of the farm system’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, the Padres are quick to say. Just like they were exaggerated in 2020, ’22 and ’24 when geneal manager A.J. Preller went on similar splurges. The truth of Deadline day was that the Padres were keenly aware of all the talent they were giving up. And yet, given what they received in return, they were also thrilled to hang onto a few players (and thrilled with one they were able to acquire as well). With that in mind, here’s a look at three Padres prospects to keep an eye on for the 2026 season: |
1. LHP Kruz Schoolcraft The Padres were ecstatic when Schoolcraft fell to them with the 25th selection in July’s Draft, and after his introduction to professional ball, they’ve come away even more thrilled. The 6-foot-8 left-hander sports a fastball in the high 90s as well as two out pitches -- a changeup and a slider. He is also, despite his size, smooth to the plate and team officials have come away impressed with some other intangibles. “His body frame, his strike-throwing ability, his mind, his work ethic, the way he grew up training for this -- he’s just ahead of the curve more than some of those guys, so we have high hopes that he could be here fairly quickly,” scouting director Chris Kemp said last month upon Schoolcraft’s first visit to Petco Park. Schoolcraft, the Padres’ No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 95 overall, was afforded the chance to make one start with Single-A Lake Elsinore for his professional debut in September (even though high school pitchers are typically held back until the following season). |
2. SS Jorge Quintana For all the prospects the Padres traded away at the Deadline, Quintana was one they were eager to bring in. He arrived alongside Nestor Cortes in the deal that sent Brandon Lockridge to Milwaukee. And while he’s not Leo De Vries -- the top prospect traded to the A’s for Mason Miller, and one of the sport’s highest-ranked prospects ever to be traded -- Quintana is a switch-hitting shortstop prospect with serious upside. Quintana signed for $1.7 million as part of the Brewers’ 2024 international class. He had posted a .752 OPS at the Arizona Complex League, before the Padres acquired him and promoted him to Lake Elsinore, where he struggled a bit (which was expected for an 18-year-old in A-ball) but held his own. The Padres are very high on Quintana (their No. 7 prospect) and have a history of plucking prospects from other organizations to much success. His development in 2026 will be a fun storyline to watch. |
3. C Ethan Salas Salas’ stock has plummeted over the past year and a half, but the Padres are choosing to remain bullish. He was the top-ranked international signing in the 2023 class, and development always comes with its share of hurdles -- especially for young catchers. Of course, there are obvious concerns with Salas (who remains the Padres’ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 77 overall). Namely the back injury that has forced him to miss the past five months. Salas was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his back and was shut down for what was initially viewed as a 2-3 month period. That absence has lingered well beyond the initial timeline and Salas was recently removed from the team’s Arizona Fall League roster. Asked about Salas at his end-of-season press conference last week, Preller had this to say: “Ethan’s doing well, he’s starting to swing the bat, get into baseball activity. It’s not really a setback. It’s just been us and our medical staff, our doctors, our specialists that we’ve talked to about Ethan, just understanding he’s 19 years old, and this is all about the next 10 years.” Indeed, there’s still much to like with Salas, whose work behind the plate remains advanced. His bat has been slower to come around, but team officials are convinced that it will. It’s possible Salas would play in winter ball to recoup some at-bats, but Preller said that isn’t a priority. Whatever Salas does this winter to get himself ready, his 2026 campaign is a crucial one. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Padres have never played a Game 7 in franchise history and have only once played a Game 6 -- in the 1998 NLCS against Atlanta. Who started and won that game? A. Andy Ashby
B. Kevin Brown
C. Joey Hamilton
D. Sterling Hitchcock |
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D. Hitchcock. Hitchcock pitched five scoreless innings, striking out eight, en route to NLCS MVP honors. |
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