The San Diego Padres had 11 minor league players officially file for free agency.
While the minor league free agency process is nowhere near the show that major league free agency is, the San Diego Padres still had 11 players elect free agency this offseason, many of them veteran depth pieces who played for the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas in 2018. Per Baseball America’s complete list, 520 minor league players in all are now free to sign with any team they desire.
Below is the complete list of now-former Padres and a brief recap of their 2018 performance.
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: Peterson had a great year with El Paso, hitting .286 and recording 31 doubles and 11 home runs. Despite striking out 113 times, the most since 2014, Peterson reached base in 34% of his at-bats and logged 122 hits in total.
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Minor league pitching free agents.
- RHP Jonathan Aro: Aro had a solid season out of the El Paso bullpen, posting a 3.68 ERA in 38 appearances (44 IP). He struck out 36, walked 19, and limited opponents to three home runs in a home run prone park. He gave up just one earned run over his last 10 outings of the season.
- RHP Erik Johnson: The 6’3″ former second-round pick of the White Sox missed the entire 2017 season but came back for a decent 2018 campaign. Pitching for both San Antonio and El Paso, Johnson struck out 45 hitters in 40 innings and ended the year with a 3.98 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Unfortunately, he gave up seven home runs, including three in nine innings in AAA.
- RHP Seth Simmons: Splitting his time as a reliever and starter, Simmons went 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA between AA and AAA. In 54 innings of work, Simmons walked 24 and struck out just 36 hitters. He also gave up 11 home runs.
- RHP Elias Torres: Did not play in 2018.
Anyone on this list you would bring back to provide depth in the minors?