Padres news: SD makes solid minor league signing, parts ways with coach

The San Diego Padres have been spending most of the early stages of the 2022 offseason trying to bring in heavy hitters like Aaron Judge and Xander Bogaerts. They failed to land the former, but did well to secure the latter. Still, A.J. Preller needs to make sure that the team has enough depth behind its stars to function.

The Padres agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder David Dahl, who spent most of his career with the Colorado Rockies. In 177 games between 2018 and 2019, the All-Star outfielder hit .291 with 31 home runs and 109 RBI. Unfortunately, he fell off a cliff quickly after.

Dahl hit just .201 with four home runs in 87 games between 2020 and 2021 with the Rockies and Texas Rangers. After spending last year in Triple-A with the Brewers and Nationals organizations, Dahl is giving it one last chance in the pros by joining San Diego, who are trying to get his power stroke to return.

With Jurickson Profar still a free agent and Trent Grisham coming off a very poor offensive season, there exists a future where Dahl ends up getting called into service. San Diego has breathed new life into names like Profar in the last few years, so a Dahl resurgence could be in the cards.

More Padres news

• The Padres acquired left-handed relief pitcher Jose Lopez from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 draft. A hard-throwing 23-year-old who seems very pro-ready, Lopez recorded eight wins and a 2.43 ERA in the 2022 season, most of which was spent with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits.
• The Padres parted ways with catching coach and former Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli. With Cervelli and Jorge Alfaro no longer on the roster, there is plenty of current and former backstop turnover in San Diego. The Padres must make two coaching hires, as hitting coach Michael Brdar left to join the Tigers.

MLB news

• The New York Mets may have lost Jacob deGrom to the Rangers, but Steve Cohen is still spending tons of money. In addition to the Justin Verlander signing, Brandon Nimmo signed an eight-year, $162 million contract. Reliever David Robertson also agreed to a one-year contract with the Mets.
• The Diamondbacks and Marlins have interest in prying Justin Turner away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. After Trea Turner joined the Phillies, LA may have lost three high-end starting infielders during the last two offseasons if this continues if Turner follows in the steps of Turner and Corey Seager.

Projecting Padres’ stacked 2023 lineup after Xander Bogaerts signing

The Padres signed shortstop Xander Boagerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract. Here's a projection of San Diego's 2023 lineup with Bogaerts.