The Padres have signed infielder/outfielder Brad Miller to a minor league deal, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The client of ISE Baseball also receives an invite to big league camp.
Miller, 34, is coming off a couple of mostly lost seasons with the Rangers. He made separate trips to the injured list last year due to a right oblique strain and left hamstring strain. He only got into 27 games and hit .214/.328/.339 in that time. 2022 was a similar situation as he got into 81 games and hit just .212/.270/.320, missing time due to right hip issues and a neck strain.
Prior to that, he was coming off a strong three-year run, which is what led to his two-year, $10MM pact in Texas. From 2019 to 2021, he suited up for Cleveland, Philadelphia and St. Louis, hitting 40 home runs in those three seasons, one of which was shortened to 60 games. His 28.3% strikeout rate was a bit high but he also drew walks at an 11.8% clip. His combined .236/.331/.480 slash line over that three-year period translated to a wRC+ of 114, indicating he was 14% above league average.
Defensively, Miller has bounced all over the diamond, having played all four infield spots in his career as well as all three outfield positions. But he has hardly played shortstop since 2016, hasn’t played center at all since 2015 and his last second base appearance was in 2021. He’s probably best suited to the four corner spots, which could still make him a fit for the Padres.
The Friars have a wide open outfield, apart from Fernando Tatis Jr. being in right field. Non-roster invitees like Jackson Merrill, Jakob Marsee, Calvin Mitchell and Óscar Mercado appear to be competing for outfield playing time with guys like Jurickson Profar and José Azocar. On the infield corners, Jake Cronenworth figures to be at first and Manny Machado at third. There’s some uncertainty with the latter since he’s coming back from elbow surgery but he seems on track to be ready by Opening Day.
Infielders Eguy Rosario and Matthew Batten are on the 40-man roster but both have options, as does Azocar. The Padres only have 37 players on their 40-man roster and Tucupita Marcano will likely wind up on the 60-day IL at some point due to a torn ACL that’s going to keep him out until midseason. If the Friars wanted to, they could select someone like Miller to serve in a bench role, even if they also add a couple of those NRIs to fill out the outfield. Meanwhile, the optionable players could be sent to the minors for regular reps. The club also doesn’t have a strict designated hitter on the roster, which opens up plenty of opportunities for someone in this cluster.
