Padres To Sign José Miranda To Minor League Deal

The Padres have agreed to a minor league deal with infielder José Miranda, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The Boras Corporation client also receives an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Miranda, 28 in June, seemed like a long-term piece for the Twins not too long ago. He debuted with Minnesota in 2022 and hit 15 home runs in 483 plate appearances. His 5.8% walk rate was quite low but he was also tough to punch out, going down on strikes just 18.8% of the time. He finished that year with a .268/.325/.426 line and 116 wRC+, splitting his time between the two infield corners.

A shoulder injury wrecked his 2023 season. He required surgery and only got into 40 games, with a dismal .211/.263/.303 line in those. He got back on track the following year. He only hit nine homers in 429 plate appearances but slashed .284/.322/.441 for a 114 wRC+. Another swoon came in 2025. He started the year with a .167/.167/.250 line and got optioned to the minors in mid-April. He spent the rest of the year in Triple-A with a dismal .195/.272/.296 line at that level.

The lack of offense really hurts Miranda. He’s not a fast runner and his defensive grades are mostly poor. He’s work at third base has been worth minus-14 Outs Above Average in his career, though Defensive Runs Saved has given him a grade of +1. Both metrics frown upon his first base work, as Miranda has a -6 DRS and -4 OAA there.

He exhausted his final option this year and will be out of options going forward. That will make it harder for him to hold a roster spot. He was passed through waivers and outrighted in November, then became a free agent.

For the Padres, there’s no harm in a non-roster pact like this. They currently have Manny Machado as their everyday third baseman, though he is going to turn 34 next summer, so perhaps the Padres might be wise to use him as the designated hitter more frequently. They reportedly have a deal in place with Sung Mun Song, which will give them more depth at both infield corners and at second base, though Song is unproven since he’s coming over from South Korea and has no major league experience. Jake Cronenworth is likely to be at second base and Gavin Sheets potentially at first, though Song could theoretically factor in at either of those positions and Cronenworth can play first. The DH spot is fairly open at the moment, so Machado or Sheets or someone else could carve out time there.

Cronenworth has been in trade rumors as the Padres look to strike a balance between competing and their keeping their financial house in order. That could change the whole picture, as could other moves or injuries. If Miranda is able to hit his way onto the roster, he is out of options but has less than three years of service time, meaning the Padres could potentially control him for four seasons.

Photo courtesy of Jordan Johnson, Imagn Images