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Jake Cronenworth Settles For $4.25 MillionThe San Diego Padres and infielder Jake Cronenworth avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.25 million deal. Cronenworth is coming off back-to-back All-Star nods for the Friars. He finished up his third MLB season with a .239/.332/.390 slash line with a career-low .722 OPS, 17 home runs, a career-high 88 RBI, 88 runs scored and three stolen bases in 684 plate appearances and 158 games. The 28-year-old has some decent power at the second base position and resides in one of the best lineups in baseball. He'll also be the team's primary first baseman in 2023, so he'll add some positional flexibility to his fantasy profile. Cronenworth is ranked just inside the top 20 second basemen at RotoBaller.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 14, 2023, 5:20:34 PM- SD
Austin Nola Will Receive $2.35 Million In 2023The San Diego Padres avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.35 million deal with catcher Austin Nola. The 33-year-old backstop came on strong for the Padres in the postseason, but he wasn't all that great in the regular season with a .251/.321/.329 slash line, .649 OPS, four home runs, 40 RBI, 40 runs scored and two stolen bases in 397 plate appearances and a career-high 110 games played in 2022. Nola should once again see his fair share of playing time in 2023 in one of the best lineups in the league, but hasn't reached double-digit home runs since his rookie year with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 (10), and he could lose substantial playing time to Luis Campusano when it's all said and done.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 14, 2023, 12:43:51 AM - SD
Trent Grisham Avoids Salary ArbitrationThe San Diego Padres and outfielder Trent Grisham avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.175 million deal. Grisham struggled to make contact regularly in his third year with the Friars in 2022, finishing with a .184/.284/.341 slash line, career-low .626 OPS, career-high 17 home runs, 53 RBI, 58 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 524 plate appearances over a career-high 152 games played. The 26-year-old was a liability at the plate, but he did show some signs of life in the postseason and also won his second Gold Glove award on defense. Needless to say, Grisham's fantasy value has dropped significantly heading into 2023, and there's a good chance he'll be benched this year if he doesn't improve.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 13, 2023, 8:56:19 PM - SD
Josh Hader Avoids Arbitration With Record DealThe San Diego Padres and relief pitcher Josh Hader avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $14.1 million deal, according to a source. It becomes the biggest salary in arbitration in MLB history for a reliever. The Padres acquired the left-hander from the Milwaukee Brewers at last year's trade deadline, but was uncharacteristically wild and really struggled overall in 2022. Hader had a 7.31 ERA in 19 appearances in San Diego and finished with a career-high 5.22 ERA (3.45 FIP), 1.28 WHIP, 36 saves, 9.6% walk rate and 37% strikeout rate. Despite the down year, the 28-year-old southpaw had a really rough stretch to blame and he looked to be back to elite Hader form in the postseason, so a bounce-back campaign in 2023 is very possible.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 13, 2023, 8:01:42 PM - SD
Juan Soto Avoids Arbitration At $23 MillionThe San Diego Padres and outfielder Juan Soto avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $23 million deal, according to sources. The Padres swung a blockbuster trade to acquire Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals at last year's trade deadline. The two-time All-Star disappointed in 52 games to close the regular season for the Friars, though, hitting .236/.388/.390 with six home runs, 16 RBI and 31 runs scored. Still, he's only 24 years old and remains one of the best all-around hitters in the game with elite on-base skills, so there's a very good chance he bounces back for the Padres and fantasy managers alike in 2023, especially with no more shift.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 13, 2023, 6:41:26 PM - SD
Craig Stammen Returns To Padres On Minor-League DealThe San Diego Padres re-signed right-hander Craig Stammen to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Stammen will be invited to major-league spring training with the Friars for the seventh straight season. The 38-year-old reliever has been solid for the Padres in middle relief the last six seasons and posted a 4.43 ERA (5.15 FIP), 1.35 WHIP and 19.8% strikeout rate in 33 outings (one start) over 40 2/3 innings in 2022. He wasn't as good as he was in 2021, but Stammen has been workmanlike out of the SD bullpen with a 3.36 ERA (3.76 FIP), 1.14 WHIP, five saves and a 23.0% strikeout rate in 394 1/3 innings over the last six seasons. Stammen dealt with injuries last year and will strictly provide the Pads with more relief depth in 2023.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 12, 2023, 12:46:38 AM - SD
Nelson Cruz Agrees With Padres On One-Year DealThe San Diego Padres and free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal on Wednesday, pending a physical, according to sources familiar with the deal. Cruz wants to win a World Series ring and was willing to take less money to play for a contender. He is also familiar with general manager AJ Preller from their days in the Texas Rangers organization. Boomstick looked his age (42) in 2022 with the Washington Nationals, hitting .234/.313/.337 with only 10 home runs, 64 RBI, 50 runs scored, four stolen bases and a 23.6% strikeout rate. Cruz ended the year on the injured list and eventually needed surgery on his left eye, but he should be good to go for the start of the 2023 season. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a whole lot from the seven-time All-Star in what is likely to be his final season, but he could provide some modest power numbers as a part-time DH in his new digs.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 11, 2023, 11:01:52 PM - SD
Adam Engel Joins Padres On One-Year DealThe San Diego Padres signed free-agent outfielder Adam Engel to an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday. Engel became a free agent this offseason when the Chicago White Sox did not tender him a new deal for 2023. The 31-year-old glove-first player comes to San Diego after six years with the Pale Hose in which he slashed an underwhelming .225/.280/.350 with a .631 OPS, 30 home runs 123 RBI, 173 runs scored and 47 stolen bases in 523 games. In 119 games in 2022, Engel hit .224 with two homers, 17 RBI, 32 runs scored and 12 stolen bases in 260 plate appearances. Engel can play all three outfield positions and will give the Friars some much-needed outfield depth, although he's unlikely to move the needle at all in fantasy as a bench player.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 7, 2023, 12:57:16 AM - SD
Padres Agree With Brent Honeywell Jr. FridayThe San Diego Padres and free-agent right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. agreed to a split major-league deal on Friday, according to sources. Honeywell will make $725,000 if he's in the big leagues and $200,000 in the minor leagues. The 27-year-old former top prospect with the Tampa Bay Rays spent the 2022 in the minors with the Oakland Athletics, going 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 1/3 frames over 13 appearances (two starts) at Single-A Stockton and Triple-A Las Vegas. Honeywell still has interesting strikeout upside, but he just needs to remain healthy in order to have a shot at sticking on the Friars major-league roster as starting/relief depth.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 6, 2023, 11:15:35 PM - SD
Injured Fernando Tatis Jr. Cleared To Resume Baseball ActivitiesSan Diego Padres shortstop/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder, wrist) has been cleared to resume baseball activities this weekend, according to a team source. Tatis is recovering from multiple surgeries in 2022. He had surgery on a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder in September and has had two surgeries on the scaphoid bone in his left wrist, with the latest one coming in October. The 24-year-old isn't eligible to return from his suspension until April 20, but he's expected to be ready for spring training. Tatis hasn't played since the end of 2021 and it's unclear exactly where he'll be playing defensively in 2023 after the addition of shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The young superstar has incredible upside when healthy, but even coming off multiple surgeries and a lost season in 2022, Tatis will be an early-round risk/reward fantasy commodity.
Source : RotoBallerUpdated : Jan 6, 2023, 11:03:50 PM