The Padres recently agreed to minor league contracts with lefty reliever Austin Davis and outfielder Zach Reks, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Reks returns after a stint in Korea, while Davis spent part of last season in Triple-A.
Davis, 31, has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons. The Cal-Bakersfield product got to the big leagues each year between 2018-22 and tallied 136 appearances between the Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox and Twins. Davis turned in a solid 4.15 ERA as a rookie with Philadelphia. He allowed more than five earned runs per nine in each of the following four seasons.
That includes a 5.79 mark over a career-high 56 innings two years ago. Davis spent the vast majority of that year in Boston before a late-season cameo with the Twins. He punched out a solid 24.2% of hitters but issued walks at a near-13% rate. That proved an ominous lead-up to a dreadful season in Triple-A.
Davis inked a minor league pact with the Astros. Assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land, he pitched in 20 games. Over 25 contests, he was tagged for 11.22 earned runs per nine. His control completely evaporated. Davis walked more than a quarter of batters faced and was released in June. He issued 11 more walks in 18 1/3 innings of winter ball in the Dominican Republic, although he nevertheless managed a 2.45 ERA there and impressed San Diego evaluators enough to get another non-roster look.
Reks, a left-handed hitter, logged brief MLB action with the Dodgers and Rangers between 2021-22. He signed with the KBO’s Lotte Giants midway through the ’22 campaign. Reks turned in an impressive .330/.410/.495 slash with Lotte, earning a new contract over the offseason. His follow-up KBO campaign didn’t go as well. Reks got out to a .246/.338/.345 start while battling a knee injury. Lotte released him in June.
The Padres will add him to the organization, likely sending him to Triple-A El Paso to open the season. Reks owns a .290/.388/.537 line over 902 plate appearances at the level. That’s partially a reflection of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but is strong output in any case. Hitting at something approaching that level for El Paso could get him a midseason look in what currently projects as a thin San Diego outfield.
LFGSD!
Very slow news day
Reks is a sneaky pickup.
This doesn’t cut it Pads.
Give me a Voit or Vogelbach any day on a minor league deal.
Sign someone of merit.
‘See, we signed some minor league free agents’
Sad to see how far the the Pads have regressed as an organizationin in one offseason.
Don’t ask the Padres to sign “Someone of Merit”. Otherwise, you’ll see them sign 80-year old Jim Merritt.
Tow – the V’a can’t hit my wife’s weight, much less their own and should never see a batter box on a contending team but you want them only to complain about signing 2 RP’s that probably never see the mound in an mlb game for a contending team?
What is the point? Even the Mets with all their $$’s aren’t signing all of the top FA’s.
Until the young guys prove they aren’t ready by struggling in camp, they are better options than the V’s – and probably these 2 RPs too.
So many V types to fill a roster at end of camp cuts if needed.
Tow wants unobscured chest hair?
Tow wants to complain! 25+ other mlb teams have operated this off season similarly to SD but he thinks because they didn’t win the off-season, again, that “they don’t want to win”.
The chest hair / moss is just a bonus for him!
If great hair is his guide Wil Myers is probably open to a reunion and probably has as much chance of making the team as with of the V’s!
At least Wil is a fan favorite!
Apparently Tow has a type…
When you can’t afford one of Voit, Wogelbach or Peralta or they don’t want to sign here, your in trouble.
These are minor league deals for veterans on base salaries.
Every team signs them.
You need veteran depth off the bench.
This team is not a wild card team as constructed.
Finishes fourth behind the Giants.
But hey, you want to discuss my chest moss go right ahead;)
What aged vets do you want them to sign to minors contracts? For every Voit I’d take a Batten. For every Vogelbach I’d perfer not to block a Pauley or Merrill. Besides, they already signed Profar, how many more vets in decline do you want on this roster?
The Pads do need another SP and OF and pershaps a DH/1B.. I suspect we’ll see so moves after they get further into ST games and they can do assessments of players like Marsee and Pauley in camp.
Brew – exactly.
Tow – I’ll be in Peoria on 3/2 and will try to get an appointment set with AJ to relay your concerns that he get on it get some washed up and / or never were worth crap guys to take all of the opportunities away from the young prospects who at least, might make it in 2025 if not later in 2024.
When those young guys hit below the mendoza lne I will remember this post right here.
Batten? Voit was signed on an affordable minor league deal.
Not too expensive.
What happened with wanting placeholders until the kids develop?
What happened with not wanting to rush the kids?
What happened to “competing for a wild card”?
Guys, let’s be honest. This is a fourth place team as currently constructed.
Play the kids, sure but be real, the Padres are punting in 2024.
Your what is in trouble?
I still think Cooper / Votto (fills the bill for declining vet – at least he was a previoulsy great vet!) makes a lot of sense for the roster holes.
Maybe Cooper didn’t like it in SD. Maybe Votto doesn’t think he has 1 more year left in him and sure doesn’t need the money.
Like you and I have said, there will be options available in 3-4 weeks if the young guys don’t earn spots.
So a Cooper and Votto make sense?
Is that what you’re saying.
Signing vets? Which I am all for. Again you need veteran bats in this lineup.
On the flip side if this a “developmental year” with “no expectations” than, yes play the kids.
Curious though, do the Padres secure a wild card spot with a team full of rookies?
We may find out in 162 games – that why they play them.
Will your world explode if Padres are 2 games out of WC 2 years in a row?
They had as good of a 2025 crop of prospects as any team – similar to O’s and their 2024 crop.
This immediate gratification society kills me.
So, that’s fine. You are ok with this being a ‘developmental year’.
Akin to well, punting in 2024?
Immediate gratification for a franchise with seven playoff appearances in over 50 years, two WS appearance and 1 WS win compared to 36 appearances by the Dodgers and 27 appearances by the Giants.
13% of there existence this team has been in the playoffs.
Immediate gratification with the Padres? Haha, really? Haha