Following the loss of Josh Hader to the Astros last week, the San Diego Padres have reportedly signed on a new big player, 32-year-old Wandy Peralta. The news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin from The Athletic with other news sources coming with similar reports.
While he isn’t a replacement for Hader, the former Yankee player is set to become a major boon for the club. Peralta joins four other former Yankee players, Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Drew Thorpe, into the fold in December 2023.
According to ESPN, insiders revealed that Peralta agreed to a four-year 16.5 million USD contract with the Padres on Wednesday. In addition to monetary compensation, the contract allegedly contains opt-outs for Peralta following each season. That said, the contract has yet to be officially announced and is reportedly awaiting a physical.
Peralta began his career with the Cincinnati Reds, debuting in 2016 on the field. After some successes, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2019. After two seasons with the Giants, Peralta was traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Mike Tauchman. There Peralta experienced a number of successful plays.
According to the New York Post, in his time with the Yankees, Peralta made 133 strikeouts in 153 innings across 165 appearances. Additionally, Peralta had a 2.82 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
Alongside Peralta, free agents Yuki Matsui and Woo Suk Go will be joining the Padres as additional free-agent pickups.
For the Padres, 2023 had been a rough year filled with injuries and other messes that left its roster with only two outfielders on their active roster. As for who could get the spot, it’s still unknown.
