The Padres signed an outfielder Oscar González to a minor league deal, according to his trade tracker on MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A El Paso for now but will likely receive an invitation to training camp for the big league season.
González, 27, appeared to shine with the Guardians in 2022. He made his major league debut that year and scored 11 runs in 91 games. His 3.9% walk rate was less than half the league average but his 19.6% strikeout rate was solid and the homers helped propel him to a .296/.327/.461 batting line and 123 wRC+. He also became a fan favorite by using the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song as his walk-off music and hitting a walk-off, walk-off home run to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the 15th against the Rays in the Wild Card round ( YouTube link from -MLB).
But his performance declined in 2023. His strikeout rate increased to 25.6% and his walk rate dropped significantly to 2.8%. He hit just two home runs in 54 games and slashed .214/.239/.312 with a wRC+ of 48. He’s not considered a solid defender, so a lack of such offense makes him unable to provide any value.
The Rangers placed him on waivers after that season, and the Yankees claimed him, though the Yanks later waived him off waivers before the 2024 campaign. González went on to have a good year in Triple-A, with almost a few stints on the injured list. He played in 78 games and hit eight home runs. His 20.3% strikeout rate and 4.9% walk rate were similar to his 2022 big league campaign. He hit .294/.333/.469 for the RailRiders with a 106 wRC+.
That wasn’t enough to bring him back to the majors, as the Yankees had an outfield mix to cover Aaron is the judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham again Jason Domínguez most of the year. González was able to opt into free agency at the end of the season and now has a new opportunity with the Padres.
For the Friars, they just lost Jurickson Profar again David Peralta in free agency. They have it Jackson Merrill again Fernando Tatis Jr. in two outfield spots but left field is wide open for now. Tirso Ornelas, Hey Rosario again Brandon Lockridge they are on the 40 man roster but each of these three guys has less than 50 games of big league experience.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Padres and Profar reunite, given the love between them, but it may have cost them in San Diego. He is coming off a good season and may want to get one, with the club having struggled financially in recent years.
Whether the Padres can improve their left field this winter or not, González will give them some undrafted depth. He hasn’t gotten enough service time to reach arbitration, so he could be a cheap option for them if he can find his way onto the roster. And he still has options, meaning he’ll have some roster flexibility if he finds a spot.
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