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Padres, Pierce Johnson Agree To Two-Year Deal

By Steve Adams | December 23, 2019 at 8:40am CDT

The Padres have agreed to a two-year contract with right-hander Pierce Johnson, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The former Cubs top prospect will be guaranteed $5MM over the life of the deal, and the contract contains a team option for a third season. Johnson is represented by JBA Sports.

Pierce Johnson | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Johnson, 29 in May, spent the 2019 season pitching for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, where he posted otherworldly numbers. In 58 2/3 innings of relief, he posted a 1.38 ERA with a 91-to-13 K/BB ratio (14.0 K/9, 2.0 BB/9). Unlike many big leaguers who enjoy overseas breakouts and return to find MLB deals, Johnson needed only one season of success to convince a Major League club that he was worthy of a multi-year deal.

Despite being selected by the Cubs with the No. 43 overall pick in 2012 and at one point ranking among the game’s top 100 prospects, Johnson pitched only a single MLB inning with the organization in 2017. He was booted from the 40-man roster in December and landed with the Giants on a waiver claim. He’d go on to pitch 43 2/3 innings with San Francisco the following year in 2018, although the results weren’t pretty. Johnson logged a 5.56 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9 and a 37.8 percent ground-ball rate out of the Giants’ bullpen in his lone season with the organization.

That limited sample represents the entirety of Johnson’s body of work in the big leagues, but he’ll become the latest in an increasing number of players to find success in either Japan or Korea and parlay that overseas breakout into a big league contract. This offseason, we’ve seen Johnson, Josh Lindblom and Joely Rodriguez cash in on multi-year contracts, just as Merrill Kelly, Miles Mikolas, Eric Thames and (several years prior) Colby Lewis did.

It’s a low-risk investment for any big league team to make, and the growing frequency of deals like looks like the beginning of a trend. Teams aren’t shy about mimicking successful strategies from other organizations, after all, and to this point there’s been a fair bit of success with this approach to talent acquisition.

From the player side of the equation, it’s a no-brainer, as most players jumping to play in NPB and the KBO — Adam Jones notwithstanding — are fringe 40-man roster candidates at best and will make significantly more playing in Asia than they would in a season of Triple-A ball (even with some occasional MLB promotions mixed in). And, upon returning, they’re able to sign seven-figure contracts, some of which even offer the opportunity to become a free agent at the completion of the deal rather than slotting back into the arbitration system.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Pierce Johnson

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View Comments (59)
Post a Comment

59 Comments

  1. Wilford Brimley

    5 years ago

    Oh.

    5
    Reply
    • Magnum

      5 years ago

      U r boring.

      1
      Reply
      • Wilford Brimley

        5 years ago

        o i c

        4
        Reply
        • RiseAgainst3598

          5 years ago

          what does that stand for?

          Reply
        • jwarden15

          5 years ago

          Nice big bang theory reference!

          Reply
        • drcrawdad2009

          5 years ago

          Oh, I see

          1
          Reply
        • layventsky

          5 years ago

          Said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.

          Reply
    • pt57

      5 years ago

      Sadahura?

      Reply
    • clepto

      5 years ago

      io!

      Reply
    • Padres458

      5 years ago

      Remember when you said Ryu wouldnt go to a cold place?

      Reply
  2. 8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH

    5 years ago

    Who?

    Reply
    • cubsfanbudman1908

      5 years ago

      This kid had promise, but the Cubs refuses to make him a bullpen arm for whatever reason. IF he is given a chance, he will be quality. And based on the contract, he should have a chance finally.

      1
      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        5 years ago

        to be fair, he didnt exactly develop well in SF’s pen either.

        2
        Reply
      • nowheretogobutup

        5 years ago

        He’s worth the small investment the Friars made to get him.

        1
        Reply
      • nypadre66

        5 years ago

        You’re right. He could be the next Kaz Makita!

        Reply
  3. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    a mass exodus from the NPB and KBO this year

    Reply
  4. bbatardo

    5 years ago

    Those numbers in Japan are no joke. Maybe the pitching coach over there helped him find himself.

    1
    Reply
  5. dvmin98

    5 years ago

    #MakePadresPenGreatAgain

    2
    Reply
    • keepinthafaithsd1

      5 years ago

      #ImpeachTingler

      Reply
  6. thorshair

    5 years ago

    Pierce Johnson….sounds painful

    21
    Reply
    • The Human Toilet

      5 years ago

      Lol

      Reply
    • Eatdust666

      5 years ago

      LMAO

      Reply
    • retire21

      5 years ago

      Prince Albert, is that you?

      2
      Reply
    • bitteroldman

      5 years ago

      Not nearly as painful as a Rusty Kuntz.

      1
      Reply
    • Jbigz12

      5 years ago

      I clicked on this article just for the Pierced Johnson joke.

      2
      Reply
    • VegasSDfan

      5 years ago

      I just spit

      Reply
  7. andrewf

    5 years ago

    Good luck, hopefully he does better then Kazuhisa Makita

    1
    Reply
  8. towinagain

    5 years ago

    Ill see your Ryu and raise ya Pierce Johnson

    Reply
  9. Dorothy_Mantooth

    5 years ago

    A good hedge against that awful Pomeranz signing!

    3
    Reply
    • dvmin98

      5 years ago

      Awful? You see what pitchers are getting on the open market? He was a steal

      4
      Reply
      • Pads Fans

        5 years ago

        4.85 ERA last year is awful. Signing a pitcher to a long term deal that last stayed healthy for a full season in 2017 is awful.

        3
        Reply
        • csspackler

          5 years ago

          As a reliever he struck out 50 of 108 batters faced.

          Reply
      • 99socalfrc

        5 years ago

        The pitchers getting paid are starters. The only other reliever getting paid like Pomeranz did was Will Smith.

        Padres went full Padres on that one, giving 4 years to a bullpen arm, when was the last time anyone else did that?

        3
        Reply
        • CrikesAlready

          5 years ago

          In Preller I am suspicious.

          3
          Reply
        • bighiggy

          5 years ago

          Brett cecil for the cards. Turned out terrible

          1
          Reply
        • csspackler

          5 years ago

          When’s the last time?

          Mark Melancon (4 years/$62 million), Kenley Jansen (5 years/$80 million), Carlos Martinez (5 years/$51 million), Ian Kennedy (5 years/$70 million), Sean Doolittle (5 years/$10.2 million … bargain), Felipe Vazquez (4 years/$22.5 million … currently in jail).

          At last a dozen with 3-year contracts with triple the base salaries of Pomeranz.

          1
          Reply
  10. frankf

    5 years ago

    Good for him.

    Reply
  11. latndave

    5 years ago

    Please a SP that can pitch at least 8 innings…All those rumors about Price, Betts and anyone else are crap!

    Reply
  12. Hired Gun 23

    5 years ago

    Adding depth…nothing wrong with that.

    Reply
  13. RunDMC

    5 years ago

    Glad Padres are finally allowing Japanese players an opportunity to play again. Progress.

    1
    Reply
  14. dynamite drop in monty

    5 years ago

    My two favorite presidents!

    Reply
  15. padreforlife

    5 years ago

    Omg!

    Reply
  16. Gumby82

    5 years ago

    Because he sucked as Giants pitcher, I have great faith he’s going to dominate for the Padres. He’s got good stuff. SD will be pleasantly surprised.

    1
    Reply
  17. CrikesAlready

    5 years ago

    Is this guy a playoff team-level pitcher?

    I am seriously doubting AJ Preller.

    Maybe it’s time for the head to roll now….

    4
    Reply
    • csspackler

      5 years ago

      Decide for yourself. Here’s a 5-minute video of Johnson with Hanshin this past season. Made several adjustments in Japan. Now has command of his fastball and an electric curve … both from identical arm slot and tunnel path.

      youtube.com/watch?v=Mbd8UAM38Dg&feature=youtu…

      1
      Reply
      • nowheretogobutup

        5 years ago

        Very impressive if he can do the same here he’ll be a good added investment for middle relief., we’ll know come April

        Reply
      • greatgame 2

        5 years ago

        MLB batters will lay off those bad breaking pitches

        Reply
        • VegasSDfan

          5 years ago

          San Diegos relief was terrible in 2019. They had 3 or 4 questionable relievers

          Reply
        • csspackler

          5 years ago

          Some will. Most won’t.

          Reply
      • nypadre66

        5 years ago

        Looking at the stats for his team last year, he wasn’t even the best relief pitcher. Their two closers both played in the majors and were terrible and one was more dominant than Johnson the year before he came over to the US and stunk. $5M is a lot to give someone that was a minor league free agent a year ago.

        Reply
        • nowheretogobutup

          5 years ago

          Life is a gamble I like the move, $5M in today’s market is nothing and for two years could be another Hand.

          Reply
        • csspackler

          5 years ago

          He made some delivery changes in Japan. Apparently it worked.

          Reply
    • prov356

      5 years ago

      Crikes – If your criteria for signing a pitcher is that he is a playoff team level pitcher, then you will never sign anyone. How do you qualify that unless he’s been to the playoffs and pitched well?

      Reply
  18. Longboarder

    5 years ago

    This one makes sense. I like the upside here, and not much of an investment. Don’t be surprised if he brings home some bacon.

    1
    Reply
  19. nowheretogobutup

    5 years ago

    Still need that SP on a trade, a 2B (utility) one yr deal, a C (one yr deal) and an OF

    Reply
  20. VegasSDfan

    5 years ago

    The 2019 Padres toss around 5 million like its dating a Kansas City Chief.

    1
    Reply
  21. 8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH

    5 years ago

    What a great name

    Reply
  22. nowheretogobutup

    5 years ago

    I wonder why Stammen has not signed with the Friars? He is probably asking for a three yr deal and that’s not going to happen. Maybe one year at $6M would do. I would much rather have the Friars spend the money on a SP or C or 2B..

    Reply
  23. nowheretogobutup

    5 years ago

    Sam Haggerty is available since he was released by the Mets today. Tuesday. Switch hitter, 26 yrs old, plays 2B and OF, has speed and good D. Projected to hit .250 not great but better than 20% of our roster. Better than Jurickson I bet.

    1
    Reply

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