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Padres grab attention with intriguing $4 million move on ex-Yankee
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- Padres grab attention with intriguing $4 million move on ex-Yankee
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At this stage of free agency, there aren't too many impactful position players left on the market. MLB teams now have to buy low on certain players and hope that they contribute for the upcoming campaign. On Wednesday, the San Diego Padres took a chance on a former New York Yankees corner infielder/outfielder to try and bolster their depth heading into Spring Training.
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Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Padres had agreed to a contract with Miguel Andujar , who ended last season with the playoff-bound Cincinnati Reds . Jeff Passan then followed up with the details, with the Padres signing the 30-year-old to a one-year, $4 million contract.
Andujar provides positional versatility; last season, he played most of his games at third base, but he did play a few innings at left field, first base, and right field.
Andujar is far removed from his 27-home run season back in 2018. That was when he racked up 3.9 fWAR for the Yankees and he looked like a long-term keeper. However, that was only one of two seasons in which he put up over 1 fWAR, with the other being his 2025 campaign where he tallied a total of 1.1 fWAR across stints with the Reds and the Athletics .
The Padres, considering certain roster changes that they've gone through this offseason, may end up giving Andujar plenty of playing time barring a trade.
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Assessing Padres' depth chart heading into 2026 season
Matt Marton-Imagn Images
With Luis Arraez heading to the San Francisco Giants , the Padres have a void at first base. The early depth charts point to Gavin Sheets taking on the bulk of playing time at the position, but there's a chance that Andujar claims that role with a strong Spring Training.
Andujar, however, appears to be on track to start for the Padres at DH. Considering the Padres' playoff ambitions, having Andujar as a depth option might be more suitable as opposed to him being an everyday player given his lack of track record of consistent production.
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