The San Diego Padres have managed to bring in lots of potentially good relievers, even though they lost the best of them all: Josh Hader.
They have added Woo Suk Go, Yuki Matsui, Luis Patiño, and Enyel De Los Santos.
You can go ahead and add another name to the list of incorporations for the 2024 season: left-hander Wandy Peralta.
“Free-agent left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta in agreement with Padres on four-year, $16.5M contract with three opt-outs, sources tells me and @dennistlin. Deal is pending a physical,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweeted.
Free-agent left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta in agreement with Padres on four-year, $16.5M contract with three opt-outs, sources tells me and @dennistlin. Deal is pending a physical.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 31, 2024
Peralta had been with the New York Yankees since early 2021.
He has a career 3.88 ERA and was solid in 2023 in the Bronx, with a 2.83 ERA.
He was mostly effective for the Yanks, with a 2.82 ERA in 153 innings.
The contract is rare in the sense that it has not one, and not two, but three opt-outs.
It means Peralta will be able to re-enter the market after 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The fact that he was able to get a four-year deal at 32 years old also speaks of his quality as a pitcher.
He has been one of the most consistent lefty relievers in the league in the last three seasons, and the Padres are betting on his talent to help fill the void Hader left.
He is talented enough to be of great help in keeping the unit competitive.
Peralta suffered a triceps injury late in 2023 that ended his season prematurely, but he is expected to be fully healthy as the Padres get closer to spring training.
NEXT: Padres Land Top Prospect In Crucial Offseason