Padres' Hard-Luck Rookie Who Was Promoted then Cut Latches on With New Team

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 5, 2024

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Lake Bachar's whirlwind weekend ended Tuesday when the Miami Marlins claimed him off waivers. The San Diego Padres designated him for assignment on Sunday.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune was the first to report the news on Tuesday.

Lake Bachar has been claimed by the Marlins.

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) September 3, 2024

Bachar was pushed off the 40-man roster when the Padres made room for catcher Elias Díaz and outfielder Brandon Lockridge as the two September call-ups. This move comes despite Bachar having another solid season in the minors. He’s pitched 71.2 innings across 46 appearances at Triple-A, posting a 3.89 earned run average.

The 29-year-old hasn’t made his major league debut yet, but the Padres gave him a roster spot thanks to his solid work in the minors over the past few years. He’s had a tough road, missing 2020 when the pandemic shut down the minors and then sitting out 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

In 2022, Bachar showed some rust, posting a 6.15 ERA at the Double-A level. However, according to an article by Sanders at Baseball America, a splitter camp run by Hideo Nomo in the spring of 2023 helped him turn things around. That year, he threw 60.1 innings at Double-A with a much-improved 2.69 ERA.

“My change-up wasn’t good,” Bachar said. “I needed to take more velocity off and get more vertical break. Killing spin was what I needed to do. I had big hands, so I tried it out.”

New Marlins RHP Lake Bachar had been in the Padres organization since 2016.

Zero MLB experience, but OK production at Triple-A this season as a full-time reliever. Had a 2.45 ERA over his last 15 games before being DFA'd.

Mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider. pic.twitter.com/W6wK1qdMYT

— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) September 3, 2024

After 2023, Bachar qualified for minor league free agency and re-signed with the Padres on a minor league deal that included an opt-out in early August. To keep him from leaving, the Padres added him to their 40-man roster but kept him on optional assignment. He was briefly called up about a week ago but didn’t see any game action before being sent back down.

It appeared Bachar was going to make his big league debut with the Padres, the culmination of a journey was nine years in the making.

Now, Bachar goes to Miami hoping to get the chance he never was afforded in San Diego — inexperienced, but playing for something bigger.

His father was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in 2018 and was given six months to live. He fought for 3.5 years and because of the two lost seasons, Bachar was by his dad's side.

The years he missed for things out of his control helped make him who he is. A DFA and a waiver claim just add to his story.