Where does Yuli Gurriel rank among the Padres most disastrous offseason signings?

Yuli Gurriel has elected free agency

You might have missed it among the five game winning streak, but Yuli Gurriel is no longer a San Diego Padre. He was designated for assignment last week, and he cleared waivers. Instead of taking an assignment with Triple-A El Paso, he is now a free agent and can sign with any team.

Gurriel's tenure in San Diego was lackluster, to say the least. When he arrived, manager Mike Schildt called him a "professional hitter." However, after his game-winning single in the third game of the season, things have been all downhill for Gurriel.

With a .111 batting average, a .200 on base percentage and a .139 slugging percentage, Gurriel's OPS+ fell to an abysmal -3. The 41-year-old has a -0.5 WAR, starting five games at first base and four at designated hitter.

Gurriel's struggles in San Diego are very reminiscent of similar veteran free agents who have tried (and failed) to find end of career success with the Padres.

Nelson Cruz

Nobody fits this category better than veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, who chose to make San Diego his home in 2023, the last stop in his 19-year career.

Cruz started 33 games at DH for the Padres at the age of 42 before being released, and retiring at the end of the year. He hit for a decent .245 average, but with a .283 on-base-percentage and a .399 slugging percentage, Cruz failed to deliver on his career strength as a power and on-base threat. At the time of his release, his bWAR was -0.4.

Robinson Cano

While Cano is currently enjoying a career-year in the Mexican League, his time with the Padres was not as impressive.

The eight-time all-star was traded to San Diego from the Mets as a 39-year-old hoping to revitalize his career after a PED suspension in 2021. Instead, the veteran slashed .091/.118/.091, managing just three hits and one walk in a Padres uniform. He was released after managing to be worth -0.5 bWAR in just twelve games.

Ian Kinsler

Kinsler came to the Padres in 2019 to play second base. The 37-year old had enjoyed a solid first half of 2018 with the Angels, before a midseason trade to the Red Sox derailed his statline. Kinsler came to San Diego hoping to find the first-half version of himself, but instead struggled to capture momentum and played his last MLB games with the Padres.

The four-time all-star hit just .217 in San Diego, a far cry from his career mark of .269. His 12 doubles were the fewest in his career, and with just 56 hits, it was the only season in his career that Kinsler failed to reach 100 base hits.

Chase Headley

Headley will always be remembered by Padres fans for his 2012 campaign, when the third baseman put up 6.4 bWAR and was fifth-place in MVP voting.

However, he makes this list for his 2018 return to San Diego. The Padres brought back the veteran infielder after he spent three-and-a-half years in New York. Headley's last year in San Diego did not go the way anyone planned. He hit .115, with a .135 slugging percentage, and failed to hit a single home run across ten starts.

Gurriel joins a list of washed up stars

Gurriel now joins the list of recent Padres additions whose careers fizzled out in San Diego. While Gurriel could still find another home in the MLB, he is for now just another washed up star who leaves San Diego with an uncertain future.