San Diego Padres: Sanchez, Among Others, Return to Organization

The San Diego Padres have added minor league depth, signing four contracts this week. Among them are two players non-tendered by the club earlier this month.

The San Diego Padres realize the need for depth in the minor leagues. Given the youth of their current 40-man roster, it is paramount to have players on call if needed.

With this in mind, General Manager A.J. Preller and the Padres’ front office got busy this week, bringing in four players on Wednesday. Of the four, two were recently non-tendered by the organization.

Catcher Hector Sanchez is the most notable of the four additions. The 27-year-old Venezuelan played in 26 games last season, recording a .286 average in a small sample size of 46 plate appearances. Serving as the backup to Derek Norris, Sanchez was in a position to possibly take the job in 2017.

But then Austin Hedges was taken into consideration. The 24-year-old has been quickly ascending through the farm system, and is now ready for the majors. This makes Sanchez the odd man out, especially since the Padres acquired Luis Torrens and still have Christian Bethancourt.

So Sanchez was willing to return, but will play a lessened role. He will likely be the starting catcher at AAA, serving as the organization’s fourth. While the chances that the big league club will need the services of Sanchez in 2017, Preller still regards depth at the catcher position very highly.

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The other non-tendered player returning to the organization is second baseman Jose Pirela. The 27-year-old has been stuck between AAA and the majors for much of his career, and will now descend to El Paso once again.

Providing depth at an already deep middle infield for the Padres, Pirela may not seem like a high priority. Hitting .226 in his major league career, the native of Venezuela will not be a legitimate competitor for a starting job. But Preller and the Padres do like his versatility, and the added depth with major league experience he presents.

The other two signings made Wednesday added outfielder Rafael Ortega and right-hander Andre Rienzo. Both players have had shaky history in the big leagues, but will still serve the purpose of deepening the organization.

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Ortega is a very good defensive outfielder, but lacks the run production to be a consistent major league player. Formerly in the Los Angeles Angels organization, the 25-year-old lefty can step up and hold his own if needed. However, the Padres hope that he will not be needed.

Rienzo was with the Miami Marlins over the past two years, but only played at the big league level in 2015. With a career ERA of 5.90, the 28-year-old from Brazil was not signed to be part of the pitching staff’s long term solution. He does provide valuable depth though, and could step in if injuries pile up in the bullpen.

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There is a lot of questions at the major league level, but what the Padres are really beginning to do is set up depth throughout the minors. Doing this through these small, affordable additions, Preller and the front office is making sure that 2017 won’t blow up. Fans hope that these players will never be needed at the major league level, but they ought to still recognize the significance of organizational depth achieved in this way.