San Diego Padres sign former A's outfielder to minor-league deal

Jason Burke | Nov 15, 2024

Feb 23, 2023; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Trenton Brooks (76) poses for a portrait during spring training photo day at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have signed Trenton Brooks to a minor-league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Brooks made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, getting into 12 games, primarily as the team's first baseman when LaMonte Wade Jr. was on the IL.

Brooks, 29, is a lefty bat and has had success in the minor leagues in recent seasons. In 2024 with the Sacramento River Cats he batted .302 with a .410 OBP and 10 homers while balancing a 15.5% walk rate and a 15% strikeout rate.

Those stats didn't quite translate in his brief stint with the Giants with Brooks hitting just .120 with a .241 OBP across 29 plate appearances. Still, he represents a nice depth option that could have some success with a little longer stint in the majors.

Before he landed with the Giants, Brooks had signed with the A's in November of 2022. He put up a solid year for the A's in Triple-A, batting .299 with a .405 on-base and 16 homers in 94 games before being traded to San Francisco in exchange for veteran left-hander Sean Newcomb in a rare post-deadline trade since both players were in the minor leagues.

There is a chance that Brooks could be in the mix for a bench spot with San Diego when Spring Training begins in 2025. Roster Resource currently has left-hander Tyler Wade as one of the team's bench bats, though his main tool is his speed, while Brooks can provide a little bit of pop as well. Not for nothing, but Brooks swiped ten bags in the minors last season, though his sprint speed ranked in the fifth percentile in his small sample, while Wade's was in the 85th.

There is also the wrinkle that Wade is out of options, so leaving him off the roster would mean that he would have to pass through waivers in order to stick with the Padres, meanwhile Brooks is not on the 40-man roster just yet, and that can be delayed until there is a more pressing need for his services at the big league level.

For what it's worth, Brooks also put up a +1 Out Above Average at first base according to Baseball Savant in limited time, so his defense could be something that could be useful from time to time as well. They did not have metrics for his outfield defense since the Giants didn't play him out there.

All in all, this is an interesting signing by the Padres, who are a team with hopes of conetending for the World Series in 2025. If they feel that Brooks may be of some use in that journey, then maybe he'll get an opportunity to make his mark after nine years in the minors.