The Padres are in agreement on a minor league contract with free-agent righty Wilmer Font, MLBTR has learned. He’ll be in Major League Spring Training and compete for a roster spot. Font is repped by the OL Baseball Group.
Font, 32, has spent the past two seasons pitching with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization and has thrown quite well overseas. After spending parts of five big league seasons oscillating between Triple-A and the Majors in a swingman role, he cemented himself as one of the top starting pitchers for a Landers club that won the Korean Series in 2022.
Over the past two seasons, Font owns a 3.03 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate against a terrific 5.9% walk rate. Font, who averaged 95.1 mph on his heater during his last big league campaign in 2020, also induced grounders at a healthy 53% clip during his time in the KBO.
Given Font’s strong showing as a starting pitcher in South Korea, he’ll give the Friars some depth at the back of their rotation, where they’re facing some uncertainty. The hope is that Nick Martinez, who served as a swingman in 2022 and spent more time in the ’pen than in the rotation, can hold down the fourth spot on the starting staff for the bulk of the season. Longtime Mets righty Seth Lugo, who was a starter earlier in his career but has worked as a bullpen arm in recent seasons, was signed with the idea that he’ll return to a starting role on in San Diego.
Martinez pitched just 106 1/3 innings in 2022, though, and Lugo logged only 65 innings as a full-time reliever, so it’s sensible to bring some depth with the potential to cover innings. Font racked up 184 innings over 28 starts in the KBO in 2022 — an average of nearly 6 2/3 innings per outing — so he’s more than capable of eating up innings in Triple-A and jumping into a big league rotation if he handles himself well in the minors. He could also break camp in a long relief role if he shows well in Spring Training, and it’s worth noting that the Padres used a six-man rotation early in the 2022 season, which opens that door if Font forces his way into the equation.
Font will join lefties Adrian Morejon, Ryan Weathers and Jay Groome, plus righties Pedro Avila, Reiss Knehr, Julio Teheran and Aaron Brooks in comprising a wealth of rotation depth for San Diego. Each of Morejon, Weathers, Groome, Avila and Knehr is already on the 40-man roster, which could give them a leg up over Font when it comes to finding their way to the big leagues, but Font’s 2021-22 run in the KBO was genuinely impressive and should position him for a big league look at some point, so long as he’s able to pitch reasonably well early in his Padres tenure.
Font is definitely their type….
I LOL’ed thank you.
What the Helvetica are the Padres doing?
News of his signing delivered by courier.
His role will be condensed to light mop-up duty.
And it’s a bold move.
Hopefully he will have a new script for his major league career, however if he doesn’t make the team they can just send him to Tahoma as a depth option.
But not the strikeout type.
Preller gon’ Prell….pulling another (possible) gem from the Far East.
Fun times new roman to be a Friars fan!
Check-Your-Font
Another guy who learns how to pitch after leaving Texas… how amazing! Hopefully, Mike Maddux can clone himself and help minor leaguers this time around. Maybe teach them that strikes are good and balls are bad. Maybe, they had it upside down, given the poor K/BB ratios overall.
Another former Ranger goes to Asia finds success and AJP signs him.. exhibit A Nick Martinez ..exhibit B Font?
Didn’t Suarez pitch in NPB also? I might be mistaken but seem to remember them talking about it on playoffs broadcast.
His KBO #s and age 32 vs 34.. seem > than the dude A’s signed a few weeks ago.. Mr #50 FA.. D something…
Their stats are pretty similar in Korea, and Rucinski did it for 4 years whereas Font was there for only 2. I think the consistency and durability is why Rucinski was higher. Even so, I’m a little surprised Font did not receive a major league deal.
Going off his 2 years in Korea he could easily top 1 million in either Korea or Japan. Maybe the Padres have a gentleman’s agreement he’ll make the 40 man.
So am I. Given what domestic free agents, including ones who weren’t particularly effective last season, are getting, I was surprised that Font couldn’t get a one-year deal for a $2M guarantee and an option for a second affordable season, plus performance incentives, given how well he pitched in the KBO last year.
This seems like a rather bold move…
Underrated deal.
Wilmer Garamond
Hopefully he’ll make the big team and earn some major league Papyrus
I hear he prefers number 12 Font
So what’s your point?
Poor Richard
Thought the Pads already had a lot of unproven depth at back of rotation. So it’s this instead of Pablo Lopez (or Cueto)?
High prices at the Fish market; I’d love to see Cueto/Wacha still sign here. Happy ’23 Brewski
They’re catching marlin near Coronado Islands, so close. Viva 23, it’s the year senior
Threw 9 perfect innings on opening day in the KBO last year but the game went to extras tied 0-0 so he didn’t get the perfect game!
Magnificent post!
He definitely can Rockwell
Forever the answer to the trivia question, “who was traded for Logan Salow?”
Maybe, the writer could have changed the font.
The padres are definitely hoping he’ll have some Impact
So the Padres are cornering the market on KBO and NPB pitchers?
Pads are hoping he has a Helvetica good season in the near Futura
I like the move and I would be open to a six man rotation in this case so everyone can stay fresher over the season.
Looks to be another (font)astic signing by AJ Preller!
Just don’t be in a hurry to add him to your F(ont)asy team
On the real AJ Preller took a chance on Martinez and Suarez and look how they planned out! With Ruben Niebla at the pitching helm I’m sure he see the potential necessary to making him a positive pitching cog! Only 32 years old he can still have a few productive years in Wilmer Font! Let the Wizard of the pitching mound (Niebla) do his thing! Let’s go Padres 2023 WS Champions
The comments section…Always a Font of wisdom!
Wilmer Font transactions are always a highlight I wait for every offseason.