Quote from fenn68 on August 5, 2025, 2:29 am

Note that Campusano will be out of minor league options in 2026 ... so if he is not included in any deal this winter he likely will be DFA after ST ... that does assume the Padres can come up with another back-up catcher for Fermin. Since he was drafted in 2017 ... think he can elect FA if not claimed by any other team as opposed to being assigned to the minors as non-roster.

Since I doubt he has any trade value (even as a throw-in) ... and until the Padres come up with a 2nd catcher AND shore up the 1B/DH roles for 2026 ... expect him to last through ST. Not going to be a roster crunch given all the FA. He becomes somewhat of an insurance policy and never like to move anyone who is low cost until I actually have a replacement in hand ... even if not a plus player.

Side: Diaz is on a mutual option (been over a decade since a mutual option has been exercised in MLB), likely rejected. Diaz gets a $2MM buyout. Understanding the lack of good (low cost) catchers around ... what would be an amount above that $2MM that would make Diaz and the Padres come to agreement to remain the back-up? He will be 35 next season, so probably not a lot of bidders and he does provide some continuity for the pitching staff. A real question of alternatives for both sides.

Quote from LynchMob on August 8, 2025, 5:58 pm

I like Clark Fahrenthold  (author of today's DFR) ...

Luis Campusano‘s otherworldly season in the PCL continued Thursday night, as the 26-year-old catcher launched his 17th home run as part of a 2-for-4 night that also featured two RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. I’ve said it at least 10 times now, and I’ll say it once again: Campusano’s batted ball data at the Triple-A level is exceptional. His .420 wOBA, 14.2% Barrel Rate, 93.5 mph average exit velocity, and .418 xwOBA are all in the 95th percentile or better among all Triple-A hitters.

Quote from LynchMob on August 11, 2025, 7:45 am

From today's DFR ...

Luis Campusano collected two more doubles at 98 and 99 mph off the bat while catching in 90-plus degree heat Sunday afternoon. He also drew a walk in four trips to the plate, edging his OPS for the Chihuahuas up to an even 1.000 on the year.

Quote from LynchMob on August 15, 2025, 4:52 am

And again ...

There is a new all-time home run Leader for the El Paso Chihuahuas, and his name is Luis Campusano. Campusano came into the game tied with El Paso legend Cody Decker, one behind current Padres farmhand Eguy Rosario. He broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when he rifled one out at 108 mph off the bat, then, an inning later, he gave El Paso a 7-0 lead with his his second homer of the day and 19th of the year. In 252 Triple-A games, Campusano has 50 home runs and owns a stellar 304/.386/.531 line. While there is nothing left for him to prove at the plate in Triple-A, there also appears to be no path to the big leagues with the Padres.

Quote from fenn68 on August 15, 2025, 5:39 am

Quote from LynchMob on August 15, 2025, 4:52 am

And again ...

There is a new all-time home run Leader for the El Paso Chihuahuas, and his name is Luis Campusano. Campusano came into the game tied with El Paso legend Cody Decker, one behind current Padres farmhand Eguy Rosario. He broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when he rifled one out at 108 mph off the bat, then, an inning later, he gave El Paso a 7-0 lead with his his second homer of the day and 19th of the year. In 252 Triple-A games, Campusano has 50 home runs and owns a stellar 304/.386/.531 line. While there is nothing left for him to prove at the plate in Triple-A, there also appears to be no path to the big leagues with the Padres.

Putting him in the same class as Decker and Rosario does not bode well for his ML success. Maybe more a statement as to how long he has been at EP and not being promoted to the ML.

Since I tend to always balance against alternatives ... Campusano does have a path to the Padres. Padres have no #2 catcher and after the FA depart (and picking up Laureano's option) the Padres only have 13 position players on the roster for 13 ML roster slots plus Campusano has no minor league options.

So, until the Padres make some adds ... and not obvious given the presumed budget limits ... Campusano may be the best alternative for making the 2026 ML roster ... ahead of McCoy, Ornelas, Wagner ... but not Johnson.

 

Quote from LynchMob on August 15, 2025, 3:22 pm

If you read DFR, you had to know that I'd cross-post this 🙂

A day after becoming El Paso’s all-time home run leader, Luis Campusano added two more to his career total as part of a 3-for-5 day. In the first, Campusano turned on a fastball in the upper third blasted it out at 111 mph. His second long-ball in the ninth logged an exit velocity of 104.5 mph. Those sorts of monster exit velocities are something Campusano has generated all season in Triple-A. He’s posted a 14.5% barrel rate, 55.7% hard hit rate, and 93.5 mph average exit velocity, all of which rank in the 96th percentile or better among Triple-A hitters this season. 

Quote from LynchMob on August 29, 2025, 4:56 pm

From yesterday's DFR ...

Luis Campusano “only” had a single, double, and walk out of the DH slot, which somehow lowered his OPS for the month. He now has an ungodly .429/.532/.818 line in August and has reached base safely in 27 straight games. He is hitting .328/.439/.613 on the season.

Quote from LynchMob on September 3, 2025, 7:09 am

And the beat goes on ... from DFR ...

Luis Campusano connected on a homer that briefly gave El Paso the lead in the eighth. The 26-year-old continues to obliterate PCL pitching and is likely to be named PCL MVP. He ranks second in the circuit with a .330 batting average, and his .437 on-base percentage and .609 slugging percentage lead the league. The right-handed hitter’s performance has obviously not been enough to earn the Padres’ trust for another return to the big leagues, but he remains an option if the team opts for some right-handed thump off the bench.

Quote from LynchMob on September 5, 2025, 5:28 pm

Just for the record, from DFR ...

Luis Campusano collected yet another multi-hit night as the backstop went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. drove in a run in the bottom of the third on a hit to center that registered a 108.3 mph exit velocity. There isn’t really much else to say about Campusano, who appears to be auditioning for MLB’s 29 other teams at this point. His batted ball data has been incredible this season. His 14.5% barrel rate, 55.4% hard hit rate, 93.1 mph average exit velocity, .423 xwOBA, and .441 wOBA all rank in the 98th percentile or better among all Triple-A hitters this season