The Padres have signed outfielder Oscar González to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A El Paso for now but will presumably receive an invite to major league spring training.
González, 27, seemed to have a breakout with the Guardians in 2022. He made his major league debut that year and hit 11 home runs in 91 games. His 3.9% walk rate was less than half of 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-up music and hitting a walk-off, series clinching 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 dipped in 2023. His strikeout rate climbed to 25.6% and his walk rate fell even further to 2.8%. He hit just two home runs in 54 games and slashed .214/.239/.312 for a wRC+ of 48. He’s not considered a strong defender, so a lack of offense like that made it impossible for him to provide any value.
The Guardians put him on waivers after that season, with the Yankees claiming him, though the Yanks later passed him through waivers unclaimed prior to the 2024 campaign. González went on to have a decent year in Triple-A, around a few stints on the injured list. He got into 78 games and hit eight home runs. His 20.3% strikeout rate and 4.9% walk rate were similar to his big league campaign in 2022. He hit .294/.333/.469 for the RailRiders for a 106 wRC+.
That wasn’t enough to get him back to the majors, as the Yankees had an outfield mix consisting of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez for much of the year. González was able to elect free agency at season’s end and now has a new opportunity with the Padres.
For the Friars, they just lost Jurickson Profar and David Peralta to free agency. They have Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. in two outfield spots but left field is fairly open at the moment. Tirso Ornelas, Eguy Rosario and Brandon Lockridge are on the 40-man roster but each of those three guys has less than 50 games of major league experience.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Padres and Profar reunite, given the mutual affection between them, but it’s possible he has priced himself out of San Diego. He is coming off a tremendous season and could look to cash in, while the club has had ongoing financial concerns in recent years.
Whether the Padres can upgrade left field this winter or not, González will give them a bit of non-roster depth. He hasn’t yet accrued enough service time to reach arbitration, so he’d be a cheap option for them if he can earn his way onto the roster. He also still has options, meaning he would have some roster flexibility if he gets a spot.
Gonzalez looked like one of the better prospects in the game in 2022. Then the Guardians benched him. I didn’t understand that
They benched him because he was horrible in the games he played in in 2023
They sent him down, and he was just as bad in Columbus. Myles Straw has followed suit. If SD needs a solid defensive OF with speed who can’t hit at any level, Straw is available for $5M/year.
His chase rate was unbelievable. Major league pitchers eat guys like SpongeBob for lunch.
The Guardians now have another guy, Jhonkensy Noel, who is very much the same. I loved them both as a fan, but the odds of someone like them succeeding at the MLB level are not good. There is only one Vlad Guerrero, Sr.
I wish them both luck, but I don’t hold out much of success for either.
I’d do anything for big Christmas to still be good! Please don’t slump and get released!
Can’t wait to hear “Are ya ready kids?!” at PetCo this season
El Paso has worn SpongeBob uniforms before so it fits.
Found Tirso Ornelas replacement in the Chihuahuas lineup when Tirso gets called up as the 4th OF.
Giants would’ve signed him if he was a catcher.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Underrated
oogy woogy
Big time get right here
Meh, no thanks. On the flipside this is just AAA depth so that’s ok.
“Priced himself out of San Diego”. The Dodgers have spent trillions, enough to cover the national debt ten times over.
So how does a team compete, when Profar is too expensive?
Who are we kidding MLB won’t dare allow the Dodgers, the face of baseball internationally to lose.
We are all the Washington Generals. We simply exist to provide teams for the Dodgers to play.
Low risk depth piece that might get some MLB time depending on spring training and a throw in trade chip at some point and then again maybe the Padres unlock something in him and he becomes serviceable at Petco.
One thing I’ve noticed during the AJ Preller years is that he is a pretty good judge of cast off talent or throw in players in a trade…Cronenworth and Higashioka come to mind and this would not surprise me if this turned into a good pickup…very low risk.
Take that NL West!!!