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In two straight years, the Padres found above-average production at catcher seemingly out of nowhere. In 2023, they claimed Gary S¨¢nchez in late May. S¨¢nchez then had a renaissance in San Diego, mashing 19 homers and posting a .500 slugging percentage. In ¡¯24, Kyle Higashioka was viewed by many as a throw-in in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees. He turned in his best offensive season, mashing 17 homers while backstopping a playoff-bound pitching staff.

In 2025, the Padres might need another out-of-nowhere answer behind the plate. Because as things stand, it¡¯s wide open -- and there aren¡¯t exactly obvious replacement options.

Earlier this offseason, Higashioka signed with Texas and S¨¢nchez with Baltimore. At a position that didn¡¯t have many quality free agents to begin with, most of the top options have signed elsewhere.

"We've been involved in, so far, almost all of the catchers that have gone off the board to some degree -- checking in, making some offers," general manager A.J. Preller said at the Winter Meetings last month. "We just haven't lined up quite yet. My guess is that'll be an area that we keep focusing on in the next couple weeks, via trade or free agency."

Here's a look at where things currently stand with San Diego¡¯s catching depth:

On the 40-man roster: Luis Campusano, Brett Sullivan

Departures: Kyle Higashioka, Elias D¨ªaz

Top 30 prospects: Ethan Salas (Padres' No. 1, MLB Pipeline's No. 19 overall), Brandon Valenzuela (Padres' No. 13), Lamar King Jr. (No. 30)

What does the future hold for Campusano?
Anyone¡¯s guess. The Padres gave Campusano every opportunity to seize the starting catcher role in 2024. And he didn¡¯t. His season started well enough, but he didn¡¯t maintain any level of consistency, and he finished with a .642 OPS and poor defensive metrics. Campusano was sent to Triple-A El Paso late in the season and didn¡¯t crack the postseason roster.

Now, Campusano¡¯s career may be at a crossroads. It feels like the Padres have been awaiting his breakout for years, and their decision to sideline him for the stretch run speaks volumes.

But Campusano is still only 26, and plenty of young catchers have trouble breaking through. Ultimately, he might have the most value to the Padres as a change-of-scenery prospect for another club in a trade.

Of course, that would leave San Diego without a viable big league option behind the plate. So for now at least, Campusano is the Padres¡¯ top option at catcher. And unless they add two other backstops, there¡¯s no sense in sending him elsewhere.

So ¡­ what do the Padres need?
Two catchers. One needs to be starting caliber. The other should at least challenge Campusano for the backup role and serve as depth at Triple-A.

In consecutive years, the Padres have found their top catcher off the scrap heap, whether you want to call it shrewd maneuvering or blind luck. (I¡¯d argue a bit of both.) They desperately need a similar outcome this season.

There¡¯s not a single catcher on the free-agent market who has posted 2 WAR over the past two seasons (combined). In fact, one of the top available free-agent catchers is D¨ªaz, whose defensive prowess could make him a nice fit. The Padres¡¯ offense is loaded with superstars, and manager Mike Shildt regularly touts catcher as a defensive position. San Diego can probably afford to hide a light-hitting backstop at the bottom of its lineup.

But entering a season with a tandem like D¨ªaz/Campusano would be hugely risky. D¨ªaz is 34 and coming off a poor offensive season. Campusano has yet to prove himself as reliable at the big league level. Ultimately, if the Padres are serious about an upgrade, they might need to explore the possibility of a trade.

How does Salas affect their planning?
MLB Pipeline¡¯s second-ranked catcher, Salas remains the Padres¡¯ backstop of the future. But his poor offensive season with High-A Fort Wayne in 2024 shows how far away he is. A year ago, some wondered whether Salas could be a serious contributor in 2025. It now seems clear he won¡¯t be.

That said, the Padres expect Salas to take the reins eventually, perhaps as soon as the 2026 season. That makes their roster planning at catcher somewhat less pressing. They don¡¯t need to find a long-term solution. They merely need to find a bridge to Salas.

(On that front, the loss of Higashioka hurts. He seemed like a perfect fit. Preller said the Padres made ¡°what we thought was a very fair offer.¡± Instead, the eight-year veteran signed a two-year deal with Texas worth $12.5 million.)

The verdict
There are quite a few areas of need on this Padres roster. The rotation could use reinforcements, and there¡¯s a glaring vacancy in left field. But as far as priorities go, catcher might be the most urgent.

For one, if the Padres are trying to woo free-agent starting pitchers -- like, say, Roki Sasaki -- it¡¯d almost certainly help their cause if they had their catching situation settled. There also aren¡¯t many free-agent catchers available, with a number of the top options already off the board.

A reunion with D¨ªaz seems sensible enough. He clearly enjoyed his time in San Diego, and he wouldn¡¯t cost much. But the Padres should not view that type of signing as the solution behind the plate. They still need a No. 1 catcher, and there are trades -- perhaps even trades involving Campusano -- that ought to be explored.