The Padres have released right-hander Phil Hughes following his recent DFA, tweets A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club for the pro-rated league minimum.
Hughes, who recently turned 32, was traded from the Twins to the Padres alongside a Competitive Balance draft pick in exchange for minor league catcher Janigson Villalobos earlier this season. As part of the trade, San Diego agreed to take on $7.25MM of Hughes’ $13.2MM salary for the 2019 season. In effect, the Padres were purchasing an extra draft pick (No. 74 overall) from the Twins, though San Diego did keep Hughes around to see if he could return to form in a new setting.
That, unfortunately for both team and player, did not prove to be the case. Hughes improved his strikeout and walk numbers substantially in his time with the Padres, but he remained alarmingly homer-prone and ultimately posted a 6.10 ERA in 20 2/3 innings there. It marked the continuation of a rapid, four-year decline for Hughes that is undoubtedly tied to significant injury issues.
Hughes originally signed a three-year, $24MM contract with Minnesota as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. He fell one third of an inning shy of reaching the final incentive threshold in his first season with the Twins and garnered quite a bit of attention when he declined to pitch in relief over the season’s final weekend as a means of crossing that 210-inning line. Hughes was rewarded for a terrific first season in Minnesota all the same — tearing up the remaining two years of his deal and inking a five-year, $58MM contract that offseason.
It was a significant show of faith from the Twins organization, though one could hardly argue with Hughes’ 2014 results. He pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 209 2/3 innings and set the all-time record for K/BB ratio that season (11.63) when he racked up 186 punchouts against a minuscule 16 walks. Hughes spent considerable time on the disabled list in each of the next two seasons, however, and he ultimately underwent surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016.
Hughes returned to the Twins in 2017 with the hope that the surgery would correct the numbness he’d been experiencing in his pitching hand — a common side effect of TOS — but his symptoms persisted, and he underwent a revision of his TOS surgery later that summer.
In all, Hughes has pitched to a 5.18 ERA in 300 2/3 innings over the past four seasons. He’s tried to reinvent himself along the way, throwing a changeup more heavily at times and, in 2018, attempting to rely more on cutters and two-seamers than his diminished four-seamer. The results haven’t been there for Hughes, though, and he’ll now presumably look to latch on with another organization in hope of overcoming the injury woes that have plagued him in recent seasons.
No offense to NY fans, but this guy was over hyped his entire career.
Most top prospects are. But if they come through New York, Boston, Chicago, or LA, they tend to get more national attention because of the teams they play for.
Here’s your new closer, Dodgers!!! Lololololololololololololol
the next Brandon Morrow….
More like the next John Axford lmao
Sad Pad fans obsess over the Dodgers. Film at 11.
Could anyone see the padres adding Or trying to add Machado this offseason?
C: hedges/Mejia
1B: Hosmer
2B: Urias
3B: Machado
SS: Tatis Jr
LF: Myers
CF: Margot
RF: Renfroe
That’s pretty good
Bench:
C: Hedges/Mejia
SS: Galvis
OF: Jankowski/Cordero
Utility: Spangenberg
I don’t see a smaller market team like the Padres spending the money. They would have to overpay substantially to have a chance at landing him. Plus, Machado doesn’t want to play 3B.
Last time I checked Machado intends on signing as a shortstop
Come on, do teams really view him as a short stop?
Manny Machado is a below average defender at shortstop, but if any team wants to sign him then they will let him play at short, otherwise don’t even bother to negotiate with him
If MM gets a 300 million dollar offer to play 3rd I bet you’ll see him over there. It’s all about the dollars
Too bad he’s expected to sign a $400 million dollar contract to play shortstop. Unless there’s a team that’s willing to overpay for him to play third base, which I don’t it’ll happen, he’s going to stick to shortstop
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Padres trade Mejia or Hedges during the off-season for starting pitching . Also, unless Spangenberg continues his recent hot streak, I expect him to be non tendered.
Perhaps he’d be serviceable as a reliever somewhere.
Was a funny and energetic part of Padres in his short stay. I was really rooting for him. I hope he can figure it out and resume his career somewhere. He has a future in media if he wants it after he retires.
Hopefully Hughes will land with the Rangers to take Doug Fisters place. Would be somewhat of an upgrade.
If the Rangers do end up signing Hughes, he could end up being murdered by any team visiting Globe Life Park. It will be like the home run derby for the opposite team. So I guess you could say it’s a perfect fit for the Rangers lol
The Holy Trinity of Future Hall of Famers.
Hughes
Kennedy
Chamberlain
Could’ve landed Trout and Simmons for them.
Ryan Westmoreland
Don’t forget Daniel Flores too,xab. Don’t want to come across too classy.
My Point is injuries happen:
Phil Hughes ->TOS
Joba (RP—> SP —>TJ —> Trampoline?)
Ian Kennedy won 21, 2011. Was that his only?
Kinda Like Dice-K going 17-3, one random yr? never seen more hyped pitch “Gyro ball”? Lol
To his credit, Westmoreland came with hype that rivaled most but I believe his injurie(s) were most serious, he had 2 brain surgeries.
My point is Life and injuries can come at you, render all “hype” useless, Not exclusive to NYY
Here’s your chance Friedman to go dumpster diving for more pen acquisitions. Nice job by the way of anticipating your team’s pen needs. How’s that Machado guy working out?
Machado has a OBP of .362 well playing for the dodgers thus far. Pretty sure they’re pretty happy with him so far.
2 HR, 7 RBI in 102 AB’s. I think the Dodgers were expecting a little more. Not to say he won’t turn it on.
Hang it up, Phil. No shame.
Does he throw meatballs?
If not, the Sox need him.
the p adres releasing someone, hell they need all the help they can get
The A’s could use starting pitching.
Tommy John Surgery took years to perfect. It used to be far more hit and miss, like TOS is now. Hughes was useful until that procedure.