The San Diego Padres are expected to go to their bullpen early and often, and reliever Jose Leclerc could help out.
The San Diego Padres are closing in on a deal with veteran reliever Jose Leclerc, according to Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com via journalist Mike Rodriguez and Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
It’s a minor league deal, and for the Padres Leclerc is strictly a depth piece right now, as the reliever missed most of the season after sustaining a severe lat strain that eventually required shoulder surgery.
Leclerc threw a bullpen for several interested clubs, according to McDonald, and he’s supposedly on a timeline that has him pitching again in July. The Padres are hoping to add him as a midseason bullpen piece if his recovery continues to go well.
This is another low-budget move for the Padres, who are known to be under budgetary constraints, McDonald added. There is some potential here, however, as Leclerc is just a year removed from earning $10 million with the Athletics.
Leclerc does have some intriguing stats on his pitching resume. He threw just under 300 innings from 2018-24 for the Texas Rangers with an ERA of 3.24, and while his walk rate of 11.8 percent during that time was high, he compensated with a 31.8 percent strikeout rate.
He also worked in multiple roles with the Rangers, earning 41 saves as a closer while posting 58 holds in a setup role. The 32-year old right-hander has a six-pitch mix, including a four-seam fastball and a sinker that both sit in the mid-90s when he’s right.
Leclerc made just ten appearances for the A’s last year, but in theory the Padres have enough bullpen pieces to wait for him to get healthy, provided the starting rotation can hold up and provide a reasonable number of innings.
The competition San Diego’s final bullpen slots has been fierce, but injuries remain a constant threat, and the Padres are one of the most vulnerable teams in the league on that front.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but presumably it will be for far less than what Leclerc was used to making with the A’s. It’s unusual to see the Padres signing minor league deals with reclamation projects like Leclerc, but this is where the Angel are after a static offseason and some important pitching losses in spring training.
The Padres open their season on Thursday against the San Diego Padres, with Nick Pivetta scheduled to get the start. Bullpen usage could happen early and often, which could provide a clue about how much the Padres will need pitchers like Leclerc going forward.