Padres Reportedly Land Ex-Cardinals Outfielder Looking To Work His Way Back To Big Leagues
The San Diego Padres reportedly were busy Wednesday afternoon.
San Diego has been rumored to be extremely active ahead of the August 1 trade deadline but made a move not involving a trade Wednesday. The Padres reportedly signed former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Óscar Mercado to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America's Chris Hilburn-Trenkle.
Mercado was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft and he has had a roller coaster of a career ever since. The young outfielder began his professional career in the Cardinals' farm system in 2013 and worked his way up to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in 2018. He then was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in a deal involving Conner Capel and Jhon Torres and eventually made his big league debut with the club in 2019.
The 28-year-old impressed during his rookie year and clubbed 15 home runs and drove in 54 runs to go along with 15 stolen bases and a slash line of .269/.318/.443. Inconsistent play hampered his career afterward and he bounced back and forth between the big leagues and minor leagues. Mercado was designated for assignment by the Guardians in 2022 and after signing with the Philadelphia Phillies and back to the Guardians, the outfielder eventually landed with them ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Mercado worked his way back up to the big leagues and was impressive with the Cardinals while slashing .290/.313/.387 to go along with five RBIs in 20 games, but a log jam in the outfield forced St. Louis designated him for assignment.
The 28-year-old now will have the opportunity to work his way back to the big leagues once again, this time with San Diego. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him back in the majors again this season, although he likely is more of a depth piece for the Padres with upside than someone who will be a regular contributor.
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