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 12 months and hit 11 house runs in 91 video games. His 3.9% stroll price was lower than half of league common however his 19.6% strikeout price 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 towards the Rays within the Wild Card spherical (YouTube hyperlink from MLB).
However his efficiency dipped in 2023. His strikeout price climbed to 25.6% and his stroll price 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-about a robust defender, so a scarcity of offense like that made it not possible for him to offer any worth.
The Guardians put him on waivers after that season, with the Yankees claiming him, although the Yanks later handed him via waivers unclaimed previous to the 2024 marketing campaign. González went on to have an honest 12 months in Triple-A, round a couple of stints on the injured checklist. He received into 78 video games and hit eight house runs. His 20.3% strikeout price and 4.9% stroll price had 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 Decide, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez for a lot of the 12 months. 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 only misplaced Jurickson Profar and David Peralta to free company. They’ve Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. in two outfield spots however left discipline is pretty open in the mean 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, nevertheless it’s potential 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 discipline 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 possibility for them if he can earn his manner onto the roster. He additionally nonetheless has choices, which means he would have some roster flexibility if he will get a spot.
