The San Diego Padres announced their list of non-roster invitees this week, and it’s a long list. That’s typical for most teams at this time of year, but players who use this route to try to catch on come and go without making much of an impact, but A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com picked out three who have the best chance to make the roster this spring.
Triston McKenzie, RHP
McKenzie started his career in the AL Central with the Cleveland Guardians, and he was very effective in his first three seasons from 2020-22. McKenzie’s numbers included an ERA of 3.69 and a 1.03 WHIP across 60 starts, according to Cassavell, which made him a staple in Cleveland’s rotation.
Injuries struck after that, and McKenzie had an ugly ERA of 5.46 in 24 appearances over the next three seasons. That’s the reason he’s coming to spring training on a non-roster invite, but the Padres think they have someone who can help McKenzie turn things around.
Pitching coach Ruben Niebla worked extensively with McKenzie back when he was in the Cleveland organization, so there’s some familiarity there. Given the Padres need for starting pitching depth, it makes sense to try the pairing again to see if McKenzie can land a spot at the end of the rotation or at least end up in Triple A as a viable depth piece.
Blake Hunt, Catcher
Hunt is another player with an opportunity in San Diego. Freddy Fermin is established as the starting catcher, but backup Luis Campusano has defensive limitations, and the Padres might prefer to use him as an extra bat.
Hunt is also an offense-first backstop, but he has better defensive skills than Campusano. Add in the fact that he had an .820 OPS at Triple A Tacoma, according to Cassavell, and it makes sense to bring him in to compete for the backup job. The Padres are still waiting on catching prospect Ethan Salas, who's been injured but is probably their best defensive option as a backup.
Francis Pena, RHP
Pena is a bit more of a long shot given the depth in the Padres bullpen, but there’s still some doubt about whether reliever Jason Adam will be ready on Opening Day after having surgery on his left quad.
The Padres of plenty of arms, and Pena will join them. Pena is the number 20 prospect in the Padres system, and he has an effective sinker/slider mix that will play in the pen if he can throw more strikes.