Former Guardians Playoff Hero Signs Minor League Deal With Padres

One-time Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez signs with the San Diego Padres.

Oct 8, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Oscar Gonzalez (39) hits a home run to win the game against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifteenth inning during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

It's always fun to track a player's career after they leave the organization they came up in. Plenty of former Cleveland Guardians players who once made a major impact on Cleveland's rosters are still scattered throughout MLB.

One of those players is Oscar Gonzalez, who just signed a Minor League deal with the San Diego Padres for the 2025 season.

Gonzalez will always be known for his incredible rookie season and historic postseason run with the Guardians. In 2022, he hit .296/.327/.461 with an OPS of 788. These stats included 11 home runs and 27 doubles.

Spongebob, as he became known as thanks to his walk-up song, was responsible for defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALWS because of a walk-off solo home run in the 15th inning of Game 2.

Then, in the ALCS against the New York Yankees, Gonzalez struck again and walked off Game 3 with a two-RBI base hit.

Feb 27, 2024; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Oscar Gonzalez (72) singles during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, he couldn't recreate that magic in 2023. Gonzalez's strikeout rate and swing-and-miss tendency became too much of a liability, so the Guardians optioned him to Tripl-A.

Gonzalez was eventually designated for assignment following the 2023 season but was picked up by the Yankees on a minor league deal.

He never made it to the big leagues during the 2024 season, but he still showed signs of being a productive contact hitter in the minors.

Now, Gonzalez joins a Padres organization that is pretty set with the outfield depth. San Diego already has Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill as cornerstones, which leaves just one open spot in the lineup.

It's always possible that Gonzalez will make it back on a major league roster, and Guardians fans should root for him to do so, given how many amazing memories he gave Cleveland.