Padres' Rumored Free Agent Target Signs With NL East Team

The 35-year-old outfielder signs an affordable one-year, $3 million contract.

The San Diego Padres have already touched down in South Korea. Their biggest acquisition of the offseason is so fresh, he hasn't even joined his teammates overseas yet.

Although the news of the Dylan Cease acquisition is still fresh, the Padres' offseason work is arguably still incomplete. The open competition for two outfield spots is only partially closed, assuming rookie Jackson Merrill has already sealed one of the two jobs up for grabs.

As recently as Monday, the Padres were reportedly kicking the tires on signing free agent outfielder Adam Duvall. The tire-kicking officially ended Thursday, when Duvall reunited with his former teammates in Atlanta on a one-year contract.

Adam Duvall signs a one-year, $3 million contract with #Braves https://t.co/Qzn1QTYh2n

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 14, 2024

Duvall, 35, hit 21 home runs in only 96 games last year with the Boston Red Sox. He's hit 72 home runs and driven in 207 in 324 games across the last three seasons with Atlanta, the Miami Marlins and Boston.

It isn't entirely clear if or how the Padres intend to fill their outfield vacancy, to say nothing of the lineup production that departed when slugger Juan Soto was traded to the New York Yankees in December. 

Merrill, 20, is a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball who has turned heads with his bat and his glove in spring training. He's batting .351 (13 for 37) with two home runs in 13 games. Yet he's also only played 46 games above the advanced Class-A level, and was primarily a shortstop prior to last year.

Jose Azocar (.303/.324/.576) and Oscar Mercado (.320/.433/.640) have put together impressive slash lines in Cactus League play, but neither has a long track record of success at the major league level.

Duvall's modest contract with the Braves suggests the Padres are either hamstrung for cash, or content with their internal options going forward. 

The Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers must set their season-opening 26-man rosters March 20, when they open the 2024 campaign in Seoul, South Korea.