The Padres have an agreement in place with catcher Elias Díaz, reports Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The MAS+ Agency client gets a one-year, $3.5MM deal with a mutual option for 2026, though it’s still pending a physical. The club has 40-man roster vacancies and won’t need to make a corresponding move.
Díaz, 34, finished the 2024 season with the Padres. After being released by the Rockies, he landed a minors pact with the Friars and was added to the roster just before the calendar flipped from August to September. He joined Kyle Higashioka and Luis Campusano on the roster, though Campusano would be optioned a little more than a week later. Díaz hit .190/.292/.429 in 24 plate appearances. For the postseason, the Friars carried Higashioka and Díaz on the roster over Campusano, though Higashioka took the bulk of the work as Díaz received only one plate appearance.
Both Díaz and Higashioka became free agents at the end of the season, leaving the Friars with a clear hole behind the plate. Higashioka signed with the Rangers. Campusano, who is still on the roster, seemed to have a breakout season in 2023 when he hit .319/.356/.491, but his line had a steep drop last year, finishing at .227/.281/.361. Since his defensive metrics were also poor, he was considered to be below replacement level on the year.
That made the position a clear target area for the Friars this offseason. However, the club has been remarkably quiet this winter. Once completed, this will be their first free agent signing. Their only trade so far was acquiring right-hander Ron Marinaccio after he was designated for assignment by the White Sox.
That’s surely related to the club’s uncertain payroll situation. The Padres spent aggressively while Peter Seidler was owning the club but it turned out to not be sustainable. In September of 2023, it was reported that the club was “out of compliance with MLB regulations regarding their debt service ratio.” Seidler died in November of that year. The 2023-24 offseason saw the Padres look to cut their payroll, which led to Juan Soto getting traded to the Yankees.
This winter, it once seemed that the club would have to dial back projected spending some more, which led to plenty of rumors involving players like Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez, Michael King, Robert Suarez and others. Reporting in recent days has suggested the situation isn’t quite so dire, with the Friars not necessarily having to cut spending. However, with holes in left field, at catcher, in the rotation and perhaps at shortstop, trading one of those players might still be necessary in order to free up money and then add elsewhere.
Regardless of the specifics, it’s clear that the budget crunch has made president of baseball operations A.J. Preller far less active than in other offseasons. It has also limited the club in addressing their catching situation. They signed Martín Maldonado to a minor league deal and have now made a modest investment with this deal.
Díaz generally gets better marks for his glovework than for his bat. For his career, he has hit .251/.304/.388 for a wRC+ of 78, indicating he’s been 22% below the league average hitter. Catchers generally come in about 10% below the league-wide mean, though Díaz will still come in below that lower bar. Between the Rockies and Padres last year, he hit .265/.313/.382 for a wRC+ of 81.
Behind the plate, outlets like FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Statcast have generally ranked him as a poor framer but close to average in terms of blocking and strong when it comes to controlling the running game.
Díaz and Campusano now project as the club’s catching duo. Campusano still has an option and could be pushed to Triple-A, though the only other backstop on the 40-man roster is Brett Sullivan, who is about to turn 31 years old and has a .206/.243/.299 line in just 103 big league appearances.
Ideally, Campusano would regain his 2023 form and run with the job. He has less than three years of service time and therefore has the potential to be a cheap solution for his four remaining years of club control. But if he can’t rebound from his rough 2024, the Padres now at least have a competent veteran on-hand. Maldonado also gives them some seasoned non-roster depth and it’s also possible the club makes further moves to address the catching situation.
RosterResource now projects the Friars for a competitive balance tax number of $245MM. That’s just a bit above this year’s $241MM base threshold, though as mentioned, it’s possible that they change their financial situation via trades of players making notable salaries.
is he team Sheel or team Seidler brothers?
Is there a team Siedler Brothers ?
They need to find themselves an internet connection.
Whoever signed him. Good.
May this be the start.
They just signed a catcher to the highest salary ever during the Preller era shattering the 2.925m spent on Derek Norris in 2016.
The Seidler bros have officially made their mark.
So it’s gonna be Campy/Diaz behind the dish. Works for me. Hopefully Campy rediscovers his bat, and gets off one knee with runners on base.
Campy is too busy trying to be Tony Batista
Ha, good comp on the stance! I thought a poor man’s Rickey.
I think both Campusano qnd Diaz have major bounceback years
Remember when the Padres were signing big names like Xander? Fans on here would say how Dodger fans better be nervous.
Remember when they had a living owner that would spend whatever it took?
The Tigers were the same way under Illitch Sr. He did his best to win. While the Tigers under Illitch Jr we are always near the bottom in payroll. So I definitely know the feeling.
The team also over spent those yers because they were desperate to win before he died. Now they are tied down with bad contracts moving forward and little flexibility. That Machado contract gunna be a doozy at $40 mil a year soon.
What bad contracts beside XB’s so far? Machado’s deal is back-loaded. Darvish’s is fine based on what backend starters are receiving as free agents today.
I would not have minded if they let Manny walk after five years and spent the money elsewhere. I would venture to guess that others feel the same.
Boegarts, Cronenworth & Darvish contracts are all underwater.
Musgrove, who knows?
Machado will be a $40mil 36yr old.
Their best assets are deVries & Salas on the farm. Tatis & Merrill long term. And the three final year of arbitration guys.
Those seven dudes make up the pathway to future success for the Pobres.
Musgrove’s contract is absolutely underwater. Crone is probably about even.
Cronenworth was at 1.9 bWAR in ’24 for $12M – a consistent and healthy league-average player with upside. That’s not underwater. Darvish will average $17M over the next 4 seasons. Have you paid attention to what the likes of JV, Frankie Montas, and Charlie Morton have signed for?
All I know is I saw darvish pitch down the stretch and in the playoffs. Twice vs the dodgers and dominate.
He seems like a guy who will age well.
After this season his contract drop even more.
Have you paid attention to how many starts Darvish misses? How about his age?
Cronenworth is underwater for the Pobres relative to their competitive window having been slammed shut. I agree that he is very useful & affordable for any club with legitimate aspirations to win. That’s not the Pobres.
That is a bit over Cronenworth’s AAV over a 7 year/$80 million deal. His salary was $7 million in 2024, the first year of his extension.
Darvish missed time last season due to extenuating circumstances of attending to a family matter which also delayed his rehab. He missed 6 (?) starts in 2023.
@wallabeechamp That’s not how underwater contracts work. Even if you think the Padres’ competitive window has slammed shut Crone at least has value to them in trade. And Preller has said he is not eating any money or attaching any prospects to get rid of him.
Nah the Manny contract is fine. I dont like the Bogaerts deal.
That is a bit over Cronenworth’s AAV over a 7 year/$80 million deal. His salary was $7 million in 2024, the first year of his extension.
YBC: sure, Cronenworth was perfectly serviceable last season. The problem is that he is 31 and owed 72MM over the next six seasons which is triple or more what he would get as a FA.
Compare him to say Adam Frazier, who was coming off a 1.7 WAR season as a 31 yo with a career WAR of 13.9 and signed for one year 2MM with KC. Cronenworth at 31 with a career WAR of 13.3 would get nothing close to what he is guaranteed. That’s why his contract is considered underwater.
Padres are ranked 6th in the MLB.com Power Rankings. Las Vegas betting line on them has them 5th in NL, so the 2nd WC. 2 games up on the Diamondbacks.
Are they as good as the Dodgers? Until someone beats the Dodgers, no team is. Are they a contending team? Absolutely. They have players that have been an All Star at 6 positions. 7 guys that have put up a 4.0 WAR or more in their careers. Not sure how many teams can say that. Certainly not the Angels that I will have to suffer through again this season.
Any team that makes the playoffs can get hot at the right time and run the table…100 win teams have been knocked out of the playoffs.
I remember when Dodger fans didn’t obsess over the Padres.
Remember when the Padres didn’t have All Stars at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, and RF and they needed to sign big names?
Remember when the Padres didn’t have All Stars at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, and RF and they needed to sign big names?
Padres pennant secured
After all the media pressure they cave in and make a signing
They didn’t cave. This is what Preller does,work around the edges.
Keeping up with the Dodgers.
Desperation from both ends; we’ll take it
One problem solved.
Bet it’s been hard for Preller to sit w/hands tied this whole hot stove. There’s discounts to be had as Feb 1 approaches n still some good players out there in FA.
Doesn’t this seem light for Diaz? What am I missing?
Why would the Reds, for example, trade Fernando Cruz for Jose Trevino, when they could’ve just signed Diaz, for barely more $$?
Diaz is clearly the better hitter. Is his defense considered weak?
Yes he’s a relatively poor defender
17th on defense in 2024. baseballprospectus.com/leaderboards/fielding/
It’s not great. Keep in mind, his bat also took a little step back last year. Personally, I figured he’d be either a minor league contract guy, or a 1yr/1m deal..but the number of catching options available at this point is dwindling fast, and AJ needed to fill that spot.
Getting Vasquez from Minnesota, with the salary being paid down to $4MM doesn’t look like such a bad suggestion any more.
I’d prefer Diaz. It does look like the twins maybe stuck with Vasquez now though.
“Clearly the better hitter” is not as clear when you realize he did that damage in Coors. Over the past 3 seasons he has a negative WAR. Trevino is worth over 6 and has half the playing time.
Diaz has a 3.1 WAR over the last 3 seasons.
baseball-reference.com/players/d/diazel01.shtml#20…
Since you mentioned road numbers.
Diaz’s road numbers over the last 3 season while playing for the Rockies were .237/.269/.391/.660
Trevino’s road number over the last 3 seasons were .232/.281/.365/.646
Not clearly better, but a small amount better in BA, SLG, and OPS.
Diaz has a 3.1 WAR over the last 3 seasons.
baseball-reference.com/players/d/diazel01.shtml#20…
Since you mentioned road numbers.
Diaz’s road numbers over the last 3 season while playing for the Rockies were .237/.269/.391/.660
Trevino’s road number over the last 3 seasons were .232/.281/.365/.646
Not clearly better, but a small amount better in BA, SLG, and OPS.
Jose Trevino is a far better option at this point on both ends.
Campusano is a documented head case. He has communication difficulties and maybe some other issues that make him a suspect teammate.
They cannot rely on him. He’s about the age that these issues become more pronounced.
Yay AJ! Another dumpster fire personality that he’s depending on.
You should hang up your phone and retire. Let’s get that 5 year clock ticking on your MLBTR Hall of Shame candidacy! Terrible post, once again Crikes.
So you played with him before?
I guarantee Crikes has never played with Campy, let alone met him. He’s just talking out his okole puka again.
Gwynning
I think the Padres are a likely wildcard team and the only signing that I am critical of was Bogey.
But there were allegations of Campy with a large amount of drugs a long time back. That would make me less likely to want him to be a franchise cornerstone. Fortunately, he is not and never has been.
Until the Padres part with Cease or King, I think the Padres have a great post-season chance.
I respect your take, MLBT100.
I take umbrage with Crikes’ callousness.
“documented headcase”
“communication difficulties”
“suspect teammate”
“dumpster fire personality”
He is and/or has none of these traits.
Those charges got thrown out.
LFG
True, but the charges were thrown out based on lack of probable cause for search, not based on that he didn’t do it.
But I also recognize that he was 21 or 22 at the time, kids do stupid things and many mature. But he should have been smart enough not to have 79 grams while traveling in the South.
Not a big enough deal so I would have cut him. But a big enough deal that I would not commit the future to him given his otherwise decent but unspectacular performance. I would have kept Higgy.
They haven’t committed to the future he’s in his arb-1 year.
Padres actually won more games after they traded away Soto and plugged multiple holes.
It could happen again.
AJ Preller is chomping at the bit to make some creative deals.
I like Campusano.
He can sure hit when he gets it going!
Maybe these veteran catchers can work with Luis and help him ramp up his Defense?
Would like to see the Manager also give Campy time @ 1B and DH to help get his bat on track.
Dumpster fire? AJ hasnt really missed on catchers the last 4 years or so. Caratini, Sanchez, Alfaro, Higgy, etc. He’s got the most of what he signs then let’s them walk.
A proper shrewd move. Sure it’s in the bargain bin, but the upside is definitely possible, he’s got an arm and can find a bat. Between Dias, Campy, and Sullivan you can find 162 respectable starts at C.
Maybe Maldonado can give some defensive lessons to campy and Diaz .
Defensive lessons not needed. If he can teach him how to hit breaking balls and offspeed pitches that would be a huge bonus.
Defensive lessons not needed. If he can teach him how to hit breaking balls and offspeed pitches that would be a huge bonus.
I’m good with this move. He also got some experience with the pitchers last year which should help coming into next season.
Stop gap until Salas is ready.
Same. Also, heard Eguy Rosario has been working in the OF more this winter. Wouldn’t mind he and Tirso battling it out for AB’s in LF. I still feel like either could be a diamond in the rough if given every day at bats.
Yeah perhaps they could platoon there. I think the padres will still add an outfielder. Platooning around the DH spot and field is also an option.
Rosario played exclusively 2B and 3B in Dominican League this winter. Hit .336/.395/.509/.904 with a 14.6 K rate. He has had an exceptional winter ball. I hope that carries over to the regular season in some measure.
Rosario played exclusively 2B and 3B in Dominican League this winter. Hit .336/.395/.509/.904 with a 14.6 K rate. He has had an exceptional winter ball. I hope that carries over to the regular season in some measure.
If they were going to get a C on the relative cheap, I was hoping for Diaz. So I’m good with it too. They now actually have depth at C
Catcher handled. Payroll went UP. Wow! What happened?
Hey mate.
Freaking awesome !
You need to tell the world how that lawsuit is settled. Everyone seems to have missed it but you.
You might be waiting for a while on that one. I heard today that mob will be voting on John Seidler next week.
I think I might be.
Not surprising. They have the succession plan that matters.
MLB announced that they would not vote until lawsuit is decided. Where did you see otherwise?
I just heard it on radio Jon Schaffer, but don’t know if true
Brew, I read the article in the Athletic late yesterday and there was no mention of a vote, even though it was in the tweet from Dennis Lin. Maybe that was what they edited out of the original article. Feb 4th was the date reported in an Athletic article in late December about when the team owners were going to be meeting to vote on the Padres control person and a number of other issues.
foppert, I had you muted for a long time. I recently unmuted you and that seems to have been a mistake. If all you come here to do is troll other users, your comments are probably not worth reading. I am not getting interesting information about baseball from you and that is what I come here to see and participate in. That doesn’t seem to be your goal in coming here.
Simm, answer directly here. Fapper is going away.
lol. Am I ?
You sound proud. Did you have a little cry at being called out as a fool ?
Pads- Lin has it posted on his article today. That’s where it’s coming from.
Reading it now.
Read his article today and don’t see where he says that. Do you have a link?
I did see this “Editor’s Note: A section of this story did not meet The Athletic’s editorial guidelines as initially published. It has been updated to meet our standards.”
Dennis Lin
@dennistlin
·
4h
MLB team owners are scheduled to vote next week on whether to approve John Seidler as the Padres’ permanent control person.
This is the headline.
BTW, in reading the actual court docket, what is described in the article as a filing in court, in all actuality does not appear to have been filed in the case. His statement appears only in the press.
Other than those filed by Sheel Seidler or her attorneys, the only actual filings were SKMC asking that a portion of the lawsuit be remanded to a California arbitrator. Other than that, no documents or filings have been made on behalf of Matt Seidler.
The court data is updated every 24 hours so a scan/photo anything he filed should be available now if he filed it on Monday. I will keep an eye out for it.
The only other thing that was reportedly filed that I saw (could false) was his statement about her bringing up relocation of the team and that it hurt what they felt like was a done deal with Roki. Paraphrasing a little.
Thanks. Is that Twitter? I don’t have an account. He didn’t post that in any of his articles unless that was what the editors removed.
Yeah twitter/X
I looked at his post on Twitter and followed the link that takes you back to the article entitled “Brother of late Padres owner responds to widow’s lawsuit in court filing”
It no longer has anything about MLB voting next week.
It does say “As part of the 25-page filing, Matt Seidler alleged…” but there is no record yet of that filing in the court data.
The Travis County Probate Court #2 meets on these type of cases on Monday mornings with occasional special sessions on Thursday according to their website. I will check back tomorrow and Thursday to see if anything was actually filed.
I looked at his post on Twitter and followed the link that takes you back to the article entitled “Brother of late Padres owner responds to widow’s lawsuit in court filing”
It no longer has anything about MLB voting next week.
It does say “As part of the 25-page filing, Matt Seidler alleged…” but there is no record yet of that filing in the court data.
The Travis County Probate Court #2 meets on these type of cases on Monday mornings with occasional special sessions on Thursday according to their website. I will check back tomorrow and Thursday to see if anything was actually filed.
Goodbye Ryan. You really need to seek professional mental health care
I read that article in The Athletic tonight and I didn’t see anything about a vote by the MLB owners either.
I like this.
“That’s surely related to the club’s uncertain payroll situation.”
It CERTAINLY could not possibly be related to the fact that the Padres are in a BETTER position than they were at this point last offseason. It couldn’t be because the Padres already have All Star caliber players at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, and RF plus 3 TOR starters and one of the best bullpens in baseball.
The Padres MUST spend on players to satisfy the rumor mill or they are broke and have an uncertain payroll situation. Never mind that the Chairman of the team and the CEO have both said that the team would end up with a payroll somewhere between 2023 ($291 million) and 2024 ($227 million) and that payroll at that level was sustainable. I mean they HAVE to be lying. It can’t be th3e media just making clickbait rumors up.
Even after one of the media that had claimed they were cutting payroll recanted and said that the Chairman and CEO were right, we STILL get other members of the media trying to say they have an “uncertain payroll situation.”
At some point it just gets entirely ridiculous.
Excellent take, surprised nobody has replied. Padres are still a pretty stacked team. I’d like another starter, but for what AJ has done the last couple of years with Wacha, Lugo, Martinez, King, I’m not worried. Offensively, I would like to see Tirso get a chance. Liked Profar, but no way he’s worth what was paid by Atlanta.
Saw post that said the Padres made 330-340M in Petco Park revenues last year?
Anyone know if that is an accurate #?
They sold 3.3 million tickets. Sports Business Journal has them at an average ticket price of $49.51 for 2024. That’s $163 million. They would have to have a huge amount coming in from other ballpark revenue drivers like suites, groups, sponsorships/advertising, and concessions. Not sure that is an accurate number, but it might be.
I had heard that their total revenue including local TV and radio, streaming, and national TV in 2023 was $414 million. Not sure how accurate that is either, but they were confirmed to be a revenue sharing payer that year.
AJ Preller finally got his man!
Preller is the king of bringing in a lost soul at a cheap price to be the backup catcher.
Caratini, Sanchez, Alfaro, Higgy, all had pretty good years here, then moved in. AJ will do it again……
Padres seem to coach up and unlock value in their catching acquisitions.
Would be great if Padres coaches and veteran catchers could
help Campusano “step it up” on Defense.
I feel like this will be Maldonado’s last training camp as a player. Could definitely see him coaching after this
coaching little league for sure
Start with Luis Campusano’s defense that appears to have regressed from a few years ago.
all starting to come together. I wouldn’t mind if we rolled with exactly the roster we have, but theres still some interesting guys out there who should be available with minimal investment. i expect to see some connor joe / tye france / david peralta type signings to at least make the kids earn it in spring training
Padres went into spring training with a team with many of the same holes on the bench and rotation and even a few in the bullpen. By the time the season started Cease was in the rotation, Wandy Peralta was in the pen. We had seen the beginnings of the emergence of Merrill and Estrada in camp. In April and May Preller added D Peralta and solano to the bench on minor league deals. He traded for Arraez in April too,
Like you, I am satisfied with where the team is right now and trust in Preller to bring a playoff team to the table,
A J Preller is not done.
If he swings at least one deal and gets multiple young major league players and major league ready prospects back then that could free up some salary to make upgrade(s) in other areas also.
Got a feeling Dylan Cease and at least one other player may
be packing their suitcases before Spring Training is done,
The non moves of this whole offseason are finally worth it!
That seems like a good, low price addition for the Padres. Diaz was decent for the Rockies from 2021-2024. Not sure how he ended up on the Padres to end last season. They seem to sign someone like him every season who ends up having a career year. Higashioka last season. Gary Sanchez the year before. that. Alfaro. Caratini.
Should take a flyer on 1B/DH Spencer Torkelson!
Torkelson has little value in trade right now. I would think that unless he has an absolutely incredible spring training and shows that he has shortened up his swing that the Tigers will send him to AAA to start the season and hope that he can bust out. Even when he was sent down last season he didn’t impress. His bat is his only tool so if that is below average he is not a good fit anywhere.
I’d like that move for the Pads if the cost isn’t too high.
I hope they look at a couple cheap free agents too. Austin Hays would’ve been an acceptable platoon option in Left Field. Since he’s gone I’d take a chance on Verdugo.
any chance Xander has dirt on the Clintons ?
Let’s stick to baseball!
It is a greats source of entertainment!
Surprised he couldn’t get more….seems like he should be getting north of $6M
It’s been a terrible offseason, but I preferred a buy-low Diaz to a buy-high Higgy.