Eric Stults Elects Free Agency, Padres Days Could Be Over

Eric Stults‘ tenure in San Diego might be over as he opted for free agency after the Padres outrighted him to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment last week.

The left-handed starter joined the Padres in May of 2012 when they claimed him off waivers from the Chicago White Sox. He pitched 18 games (14 starts and 92.1 innings pitched) for San Diego that season, going 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and a .249 batting average against.

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When the 2013 season began, Stults picked up right where he had left off. Before the All-Star break he went 8-7 with a 3.40 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a .247 opponents batting average.

The second half didn’t go as well. He went 3-6 with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.

Overall, he went 11-13 with a 3.93 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .274 batting average against.

Stults’ struggles continued when the 2014 season began. In the season’s opening half, he went 3-11 with a 4.98 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and an opponents batting average of .298. He was getting rocked.

However, in the second half he went 5-6 with a 3.40 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and a .264 batting average against. He ended up with an 8-17 record, a 4.30 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and a .283 opponents batting average.

Stults could make a decent back-end starter for a National League club that needs depth. Even though he’s set to turn 35 in December, his performance in the second half of 2014 shows that he still has value.