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Padres, Wilmer Font Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | January 5, 2023 at 9:42am CDT

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.

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View Comments (42)
Post a Comment

42 Comments

  1. lesterdnightfly

    2 years ago

    Font is definitely their type….

    20
    Reply
    • Monkey’s Uncle

      2 years ago

      I LOL’ed thank you.

      2
      Reply
    • Monkey’s Uncle

      2 years ago

      What the Helvetica are the Padres doing?

      13
      Reply
    • towinagain

      2 years ago

      News of his signing delivered by courier.

      13
      Reply
      • slowcurve

        2 years ago

        His role will be condensed to light mop-up duty.

        5
        Reply
    • towinagain

      2 years ago

      And it’s a bold move.

      10
      Reply
    • CarverAndrews

      2 years ago

      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.

      9
      Reply
    • BlueSkies_LA

      2 years ago

      But not the strikeout type.

      3
      Reply
  2. dvmin98

    2 years ago

    Preller gon’ Prell….pulling another (possible) gem from the Far East.

    4
    Reply
  3. slowcurve

    2 years ago

    Fun times new roman to be a Friars fan!

    11
    Reply
  4. CaptainJudge99

    2 years ago

    Check-Your-Font

    2
    Reply
  5. In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani

    2 years ago

    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.

    Reply
  6. Henry Silvestre

    2 years ago

    Another former Ranger goes to Asia finds success and AJP signs him.. exhibit A Nick Martinez ..exhibit B Font?

    3
    Reply
    • BaseballisLife

      2 years ago

      Didn’t Suarez pitch in NPB also? I might be mistaken but seem to remember them talking about it on playoffs broadcast.

      Reply
  7. Henry Silvestre

    2 years ago

    His KBO #s and age 32 vs 34.. seem > than the dude A’s signed a few weeks ago.. Mr #50 FA.. D something…

    Reply
    • ruff kuntry

      2 years ago

      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.

      2
      Reply
      • SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs

        2 years ago

        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.

        1
        Reply
      • burly

        2 years ago

        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.

        1
        Reply
  8. siddfinch1079

    2 years ago

    This seems like a rather bold move…

    6
    Reply
  9. fre5hwind

    2 years ago

    Underrated deal.

    2
    Reply
  10. pinkerton

    2 years ago

    Wilmer Garamond

    2
    Reply
  11. Paleobros

    2 years ago

    Hopefully he’ll make the big team and earn some major league Papyrus

    4
    Reply
  12. Jimbo_Jones

    2 years ago

    I hear he prefers number 12 Font

    5
    Reply
    • BlueSkies_LA

      2 years ago

      So what’s your point?

      5
      Reply
      • Jimbo_Jones

        2 years ago

        Poor Richard

        Reply
  13. Brew88

    2 years ago

    Thought the Pads already had a lot of unproven depth at back of rotation. So it’s this instead of Pablo Lopez (or Cueto)?

    3
    Reply
    • Gwynning

      2 years ago

      High prices at the Fish market; I’d love to see Cueto/Wacha still sign here. Happy ’23 Brewski

      2
      Reply
      • Brew’88

        2 years ago

        They’re catching marlin near Coronado Islands, so close. Viva 23, it’s the year senior

        3
        Reply
  14. magnificence

    2 years ago

    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!

    3
    Reply
    • Gwynning

      2 years ago

      Magnificent post!

      Reply
    • Jimbo_Jones

      2 years ago

      He definitely can Rockwell

      1
      Reply
  15. BlueSkies_LA

    2 years ago

    Forever the answer to the trivia question, “who was traded for Logan Salow?”

    1
    Reply
  16. In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani

    2 years ago

    Maybe, the writer could have changed the font.

    2
    Reply
  17. Jimbo_Jones

    2 years ago

    The padres are definitely hoping he’ll have some Impact

    2
    Reply
  18. BaseballisLife

    2 years ago

    So the Padres are cornering the market on KBO and NPB pitchers?

    Reply
  19. Paleobros

    2 years ago

    Pads are hoping he has a Helvetica good season in the near Futura

    1
    Reply
  20. andrewf

    2 years ago

    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.

    Reply
  21. Readyrob

    2 years ago

    Looks to be another (font)astic signing by AJ Preller!

    4
    Reply
    • Rsox

      2 years ago

      Just don’t be in a hurry to add him to your F(ont)asy team

      2
      Reply
  22. Readyrob

    2 years ago

    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

    3
    Reply
  23. JimGaffland

    2 years ago

    The comments section…Always a Font of wisdom!

    1
    Reply
    • Paleobros

      2 years ago

      Wilmer Font transactions are always a highlight I wait for every offseason.

      Reply

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