Padres sign right-hander Jose Espada As shown on Espada’s MLB.com profile page, a minor league deal was reached earlier this month. It’s a reunion between the two teams, with the 27-year-old Espada playing for San Diego in 2022-23 before joining the Yakult Swallows last offseason.
The move to Japan didn’t show up the way Espada had hoped, as he posted a 5.00 ERA in 27 relief innings with the Swallows. His strikeout rate plummeted to 13.56%, a significant drop from his 26.59 K% in 374 innings in his minor league career. While his numbers were much better with the Swallows’ minor league affiliate, Espada has shown plenty of ability with the minor league affiliate, including 19 1/3 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023 The inning ERA was 2.79.
Impressive results at the Double-A and Triple-A levels lead to Espada making his MLB debut in 2023 as a single-cup coffee. On September 24, 2023, Espada recorded two strikeouts and two walks in a scoreless sweep in the Padres’ 12-2 victory over the Cardinals. It was the high point of a career that began as a fifth player. .
Espada has issues with control, but has been unable to hit the bat for a long time, making his drop in strikeouts in the NPB even more puzzling. Returning to the familiar surroundings of Triple-A El Paso could help him get back on track, and from the Padres’ perspective, they’ll be adding a known quantity to their bullpen depth arm roster.
