The Padres have signed outfielder Oscar González to a minor league deal, in keeping with his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A El Paso for now however will presumably obtain an invitation to main league spring coaching.
González, 27, appeared to have a breakout with the Guardians in 2022. He made his main league debut that yr and hit 11 house runs in 91 video games. His 3.9% stroll fee was lower than half of league common however his 19.6% strikeout fee was stable and the homers helped propel him to a .296/.327/.461 batting line and 123 wRC+. He additionally turned a fan favourite by utilizing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme track as his walk-up music and hitting a walk-off, sequence clinching house run to interrupt a scoreless tie within the backside of the fifteenth in opposition to the Rays within the Wild Card spherical (YouTube hyperlink from MLB).
However his efficiency dipped in 2023. His strikeout fee climbed to 25.6% and his stroll fee fell even additional to 2.8%. He hit simply two house runs in 54 video games and slashed .214/.239/.312 for a wRC+ of 48. He’s not thought of a powerful defender, so a scarcity of offense like that made it unimaginable for him to supply any worth.
The Guardians put him on waivers after that season, with the Yankees claiming him, although the Yanks later handed him by way of waivers unclaimed previous to the 2024 marketing campaign. González went on to have an honest yr in Triple-A, round a couple of stints on the injured checklist. He acquired into 78 video games and hit eight house runs. His 20.3% strikeout fee and 4.9% stroll fee have been much like his huge league marketing campaign in 2022. He hit .294/.333/.469 for the RailRiders for a 106 wRC+.
That wasn’t sufficient to get him again to the majors, because the Yankees had an outfield combine consisting of Aaron Choose, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez for a lot of the yr. González was in a position to elect free company at season’s finish and now has a brand new alternative with the Padres.
For the Friars, they simply misplaced Jurickson Profar and David Peralta to free company. They’ve Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. in two outfield spots however left subject is pretty open in the intervening time. Tirso Ornelas, Eguy Rosario and Brandon Lockridge are on the 40-man roster however every of these three guys has lower than 50 video games of main league expertise.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Padres and Profar reunite, given the mutual affection between them, however it’s attainable he has priced himself out of San Diego. He’s coming off an incredible season and will look to money in, whereas the membership has had ongoing monetary considerations lately.
Whether or not the Padres can improve left subject this winter or not, González will give them a little bit of non-roster depth. He hasn’t but accrued sufficient service time to succeed in arbitration, so he’d be an inexpensive choice for them if he can earn his method onto the roster. He additionally nonetheless has choices, that means he would have some roster flexibility if he will get a spot.
