The Padres have released infielder/outfielder Rougned Odor, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment by the Friars last week and would have been able to reject an outright assignment as a veteran with more than three years of major league service time. The club has simply skipped that formality and sent him back to the open market.
Odor, 29, signed a minor league deal with the club in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He spent over three months serving a part-time role for the Padres, taking 157 trips to the plate in 59 games. He essentially flipped his previous profile of a low-walk, high-power guy. His 10.8% walk rate this year has been far better than any previous season and well beyond his 6.1% career rate. But he hit just four home runs in that time, despite once being a 30-homer threat on annual basis.
His .210/.306/.370 batting line this year amounted to a wRC+ of 90, or 10% below league average. Despite having hit 178 home runs in his career, he’s subtracted a lot of value with his poor on-base abilities. His career batting line of .230/.288/.423 translates to an 85 wRC+.
Defensively, Odor has mostly been a second baseman but has diversified in recent years as he’s been squeezed out of regular action. He spent a bit of time at third base in the previous two seasons and the Padres also slotted him in at first base and right field here in 2023. He’ll now head to free agency and look for his next opportunity.
Odor is now available. Is Soto next? That’s the real question.
No.
No. If the Padres decide to punt on 23 I could see them trading Snell, Wacha, and Hader as they have expiring contracts. I think Wacha may have an option, not sure.
With the cash spent, they will want to be competitive in 24 and trading Soto in 23 would signal a willingness to punt on 24 as well. They are not going to punt on 24. They have had record sell-outs, season ticket waitlist, and great merch numbers this season and want to keep that going. I can see AJ staying pat at the deadline or even buying.
Technically Wacha has an option but it’s a bit pricey.
Wacha has a 3 year, $18.5 million player option. He also won’t return to play until after the deadline so no team is going to want to trade for him until they know he is healthy.
Michael Wacha will beat a $6.2m AAV with both eyes closed and both arms tied behind his back. The Padres probably don’t pick up their team option but the fact that it’s even a discussion at all means he can beat the much cheaper player option in FA.
Wacha has a complicated contract, but basically it’s a Team Option first. If it’s declined by the team, it becomes a Player Option. The Team Option is for ’24 & ’25 (automatically engaged) @ $16M per. Personally, I think he is renewed by the team.
If he doesn’t pitch again this season, a very real possibility right now, he doesn’t come close to those numbers.
Quality starting pitching is in high demand. Worse pitchers have gotten more.
And as I said, if the club option is even a debate then we already know the player options aren’t.
Yeah, no. Wacha was making $7.5 million last season with the Red Sox and the Padres were the only team that made him any kind of multi-year offer. If he comes back and pitches well down the stretch he might be able to get similar numbers in FA.
But as of right now he has not even thrown a bullpen let alone started a rehab assignment. Mid-August is realistic return IF everything goes well from here on in. Max number of starts this season will be less than he pitched last season. He won’t get more money coming off another season with injury issues.
So the question for Wacha is whether its worth hitting FA to maybe get $3-4 million than the $18.5 million he is guaranteed by the Padres over the next 3 seasons.
Brian Cashman is salivating right now.
Please oh please
Good he stinks
I personally don’t think Soto “stinks”, but I cannot see the Pads signing him to a long term deal. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s flipped at the deadline, but I do believe an off-season trade is much more likely.
The Friars would never get a package like the one they gave up for him, they’d probably be better off trying to go for it next season. I doubt he resigns, but it’s possible.
The Padres didn’t trade for Soto. They traded for Soto and Bell. At the time of the trade the Padres were receiving 2 players in the top 10 in baseball in OPS+.
The Athletic said the Padres would get 4 top 100 prospects for Soto if they made him available at the deadline. That is a strong return.
If Soto was available, and I’m not saying he is it would be in the Yankees best interest to trade for him. I could see a package headlined by Dominguez or Spencer Jones, Oswald Peraza, Everson Pereira, Trey Sweeney, Will Warren, Randy Vasquez, and another piece going to the Padres for Soto, Hader, and Campusano.
Not just no. F no. Campusano is the Padres starting catcher, today and in the future. He won’t be part of any trade.
Soto alone would bring back 4 top 100 prospects and you would have to add another for Hader.
Plus, the Padres are going to want players that are MLB ready to help them compete in 2024 and that trade does not come even close to replacing Soto’s production.
If that’s the case then just keep Soto for the next year and a few months. Hopefully he doesn’t leave you guys during free agency and you get nothing in return. Hader I believe is a free agent next season, hearing he loves SD and wants to stay long-term.
I’m neither a SD nor NY fan but if SD did that trade the city of NY should throw you a parade.
I don’t think Preller cares if Soto leaves in free agency.
Captain, the Yankees don’t have the farm system to net Soto, Hader and Campusano if the Padres would even deal all three. You could probably empty the farm for Soto by himself, assuming the Padres would even be willing to deal; but man, you better hope you can ink him to an extension.
The hard truth is the Yankees are closer to needing a full scale rebuild than they are to winning a World Series.
@DakotaJoe, @Pads Fans, I did say the Pods should keep Soto. I don’t see them trading him before the deadline anyway. Granted, there is really nothing wrong with the proposal I made, especially if the Friars lose him for nothing as a free agent. Keep in mind nobody should trade for Soto without a contract extension lst. It’s crazy to lose all those prospects, and then he walks on you afterwards. That’s how GM’s lose their jobs.
Padres could get more for Soto from Atlanta, Dodgers or Brewers.
Personally, if I were the Padres, I would trade Soto to the Brewers for Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and the return of Robert Gasser. Don’t know that Brewers would be wiilling to go all in for 2023 and 2024.
@Outlaw- I strongly disagree with you. The Yankees definitely HAVE the prospects to land Soto if he was available. That being said I don’t see SD moving him anyhow. They would be better off keeping him, and making one last run with him in 2024. The Padres are a good team having a bad season, the Yankees are a good team having a bad season, also. Let’s just make that all clear.
If Soto leaves in FA after 2024 the Padres net a draft pick and around 14 WAR of performance. A huge win for the team.
@Captain-Judge99 Just out of curiosity do you think a GM should be fired if he trades prospects for Soto, the team wins the WS and Soto wins WS MVP and THEN he walks afterwards? I’m not saying you’re right or wrong but I’m curious.
Depends how much WAR those traded guys put up.
@mlb fan, I was trying to understand why Soto “stinks” as well. His WAR is insanely great, but adjusted for WPA, he’s horrifically below good. Essentially put, Juan Soto has great aggregate numbers, but his quantitative ability to help a team win is below average.
Soto is 5th in WPA/LI. In other words, he is one of the very best in baseball. Only 4 people better in helping their team win.
You do realize you can look this stuff up, right?
Padres have been releasing an Odor all season.
He’d be a fine fit on the White Sox. Underperforming and inexpensive.
So much for that 14-years-of-age minimum required to post here.
That’s a rough Odor
Love to see the Jays sign him. Just for the crowd reaction first Ab at the dome.
dang. Mariners need a 2nd baseman, and Odor would’ve been a great troll move for the just completed Blue Jays-Mariners series (we’re always inundated with Canadians)
His best hit came against Bautista
@Edp007- The Jays should hire Jose Bautista as the lst base hitting coach, then sign Odor for a bittersweet reunion.
LOL at the Padres releasing him and keeping Carpenter. Odor hasn’t played the best but he has easily outplayed Carpenter and is 8 years younger, yet here we are.
Sucks having a GM like Preller who can;t swallow his pride and admit that signing Carpenter to a 2 year deal was an awful decision. Instead they will keep running him out there exposing their fans to the wretched at bats he produces. In hopes that he can catch lightning in a bottle just so Preller can proclaim “I told you so”
My take is that the 26th man isn’t utilized very often in a game. Carp slots in at 26 now with younger “see what we got” players and there are a few more even to try – Tucker soon.
That said, it’s not about 22-25 now seeing improvement than a Carpenter discussion – not to mention a few in the 1-9 slots!
Carp survived the season and part of next year due to the contract but no more DH time for him in 23. If we need #26 then let him try for a walk or a sac fly!
I would pay good money on a PPV for a match between Odor and Bautista in the octagon.
At least we know where the Odor is coming from.
yankee reunion tour
Giants should sign him to Minor League deal if he would agree
We already have Villar and frankly I’d rather see him strike out than Odor.
Odor sucks !!!
Rougned Odor. You, are a Seattle Mariner
No way.Kolton Wong redux.
He was stinking up the clubhouse LMAO
Odors next job? Jose Bautista is hiring him to be his body guard.
Another former Ranger AJ had to release. I wonder if he realizes he was with the Rangers like 10 years ago and the players from then are ten years older?
Just be careful where your release Odor. Never in a crowded elevator unless you’re positive you can blame it on someone else. Maybe…. Pujols?
Padres did the right thing by Odor. This allows him to catch on with a team of his choosing as soon as he can.
Not an angle I would have expected, but you are right. Padres did the right thing by letting him catch on somewhere quickly if he can.
He’s got @8 1/2 yrs service time in.
Always like to see guys get to that 10yr….
HOWEVER he’ll always be remembered by a generation of fans for that PUNCH….
In my younger days had a guy do that to me. Had him by @5inches 50lbs, but I lacked his decade of boxing experience. And MY generation of friends still brings it up…..
Should he have even gotten to 8 1/2 years? He’s only had 3 seasons out of 10 where he was at best a bit above league average. For the rest of the time he has been terrible. He’s made more than $50 Million in his career. Meanwhile there are scores of players who are better that never got the chance. Terrible business, this baseball.
Well isn’t that just a punch in the face.
I ask you, should a guy named Odor ever put on a brown and yellow, dirty diaper uniform? Marone!
I believe you meant maroon.
Nah, I was going the the Eyetalian equivalent of ‘holy smokes!’. And hey, I’m available for clarifications anytime.
Thanks for filling the blank spots in the roster Odor. Hope you catch on elsewhere.
He’s only 29???
In Venezuelan years… time goes slower closer to the Equator.
Dig in, Chiam. Still better than Kike.
The clubhouse smells better already.
90 wRC+?! He is a massive upgrade to the White Sox!