San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Free-agent outfielder Jurickson Profar and the San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal on Monday. He can earn an extra $1.5 million in incentives in 2024 based on plate appearances. Profar was with the Padres from 2020 to 2022 before joining the Colorado Rockies as a free agent for the start of last year. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted just .236 (98-for-415) with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 111 games for the Rockies in 2023 before going 13-for-44 (.295) with a homer and seven RBI in 14 games to close out the season with San Diego. He'll now return to the Friars, who were in desperate need of outfield help after trading Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees in the offseason. As things stand now, Profar should have the leg up on a starting spot in left field to open the 2024 season, but his bat lacks any real upside for fantasy managers.

San Diego Padres starting pitchers Yu Darvish (elbow) and Joe Musgrove (shoulder) have no lingering health concerns, according to manager Mike Shildt. The new Padres skipper shared the news with reporters on Sunday as pitchers and catchers are reporting for spring training. This is good news, as both Darvish and Musgrove dealt with season-ending injuries last season. Darvish was placed on the 15-day injured list in August with elbow inflammation caused by a bone spur. The injury ended up cutting his season short, and he finished the campaign with a disappointing 8-10 record, 4.56 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 141:43 K/BB over 136 1/3 innings (24 starts). Musgrove, who started the season late due to a toe injury, was shut down in early August due to shoulder-capsule inflammation in his right arm. Musgrove was effective when healthy, however, finishing with a 10-3 record, 3.05 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 97:21 K/BB over 97 1/3 innings (17 starts). Both pitchers will be key to the Padres' success in 2024, as they'll likely lose free agent and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, and Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha already signed with the Royals during the offseason.

San Diego Padres relief pitchers Wandy Peralta and Luis Patino are both dealing with visa issues as pitchers and catchers are reporting for spring training. Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters on Sunday about the visa issues for the two aforementioned arms but did not expand beyond that. It's a fairly common issue with foreign players and it should be sorted out soon enough to give Peralta and Patino plenty of time to ramp up for the regular season. Peralta is coming off an excellent season with the New York Yankees in which he registered a 2.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 51:30 K/BB ratio to go along with four saves over 54 innings of relief. Patino, who started his professional career with the Padres, was optioned by the Rays last season before being traded to the Chicago White Sox for cash. The Sox designated him for assignment back in December before the Padres claimed him off waivers. He hasn't shown much in the majors so far (5.02 ERA, 1.496 WHIP in 136 1/3 career innings) but is still just 24 years old. Both players have a shot to contribute to the San Diego bullpen this season.

The San Diego Padres continue to draw significant trade interest in second baseman Ha-Seong Kim this offseason, according to sources briefed on the discussions. Kim is eligible for free agency at the end of the 2024 season, but he was among the team's best players in 2023, so the acquisition cost would be high. The 28-year-old infielder's fantasy price is way up heading into spring drafts after his breakout last year that included a .260/.351/.398 slash line with career-highs in home runs (17), RBI (60), stolen bases (38) and runs scored (84) in 152 games played. Kim didn't look overmatched like he had in his first two big-league seasons and carried a disappointing Padres offense at times. His ability to play second, third and shortstop is also highly valuable in both real life and in fantasy.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Azocar is going to have more opportunities in spring training to prove that he deserves a bigger role in 2024. "You'll see that based on at-bats. He'll get the opportunity in spring training to play center and maybe move around a couple different spots depending on how the roster shapes up. He's gonna get an opportunity to take that next step and work towards earning more time," manager Mike Shildt said. The Padres have an opening in their outfield now that both Juan Soto and Trent Grisham are with the Yankees, and the 27-year-old Azocar will be a candidate to start in center field for San Diego in 2024. However, fantasy managers may not want to expect much after he had a weak .641 OPS in 55 games in 2023 and a .695 OPS in 49 games at Triple-A El Paso. Speed is his biggest asset.