Feb. 11: The Padres formally announced Andujar’s one-year deal and 2027 mutual option this morning. He’s passed his physical and is in camp with his new team.
Feb. 4: The Padres reportedly have an agreement with free agent corner infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. It’s a $4MM guarantee that includes a $1.5MM salary for the upcoming season. That suggests there’s a $2.5MM option buyout. The CAA client can earn another $2MM+ via incentives. San Diego has a couple openings on the 40-man roster and won’t need to make any corresponding moves.
It’s a tidy bit of business for the Padres, who add a strong right-handed bat on a modest contract. Andujar, 31 next month, put together an excellent .318/.352/.470 slash line over 94 games a year ago. He split the year between the A’s and Reds, so he was certainly the beneficiary of favorable home parks, but that’s above-average production in any stadium.
It was Andujar’s best season since his 2018 Rookie of the Year runner-up campaign when he played for the Yankees. He has been a part-time player for the majority of his career and didn’t get to 200 plate appearances in any season from 2019-23. He tallied 319 trips to the plate while putting up a league average .285/.320/.377 mark for the A’s in 2024. Andujar weathered a pair of injuries that year, undergoing an early-season meniscus repair on his right knee and a season-ending core procedure in August.
The A’s nevertheless tendered Andujar a $3MM contract for his final season of arbitration. He hit .298/.329/.436 in 60 games before being traded to Cincinnati. He really turned things on upon landing with the Reds, running a .359/.400/.544 line over 110 plate appearances to close the season. He hit well against pitchers of either handedness but particularly teed off on left-handers. The righty-swinging Andujar has been a plus against southpaws throughout his career, batting .297/.332/.475 in 521 plate appearances with the platoon advantage.
It’s somewhat surprising that strong finish didn’t result in a better market. Although teams obviously weren’t going to expect him to keep up the pace he showed with the Reds, his track record against lefties and plus contact skills make him a strong bat to have on the bench. There are enough red flags in the profile that clubs seemingly still view him as a lower-end utility piece. Andujar has an aggressive approach and isn’t going to take many walks. He doesn’t have huge exit velocities and is largely dependent on an elevated average on balls in play to carry the offensive profile.
Andujar also has an extensive injury history going back to the 2019 labrum repair in his right shoulder that wiped out his second season in the majors. He had the aforementioned pair of surgeries in ’24 and missed five weeks last year with a right oblique strain. He also doesn’t have a clear defensive fit. He’s a subpar defender at third base and in the outfield. Andujar has a strong arm but isn’t a good runner or athlete.
That’s probably not a huge concern for San Diego, who projects to use him mostly as a first baseman or designated hitter. Manny Machado is locked in at third, while Ramón Laureano and Fernando Tatis Jr. have the corner outfield spots. Andujar should be a good complement to lefty hitters Gavin Sheets and Sung-mun Song, who had been lined up as the primary options at first base and designated hitter. He can step in for Sheets at first base against southpaws while still getting a decent amount of playing time at DH versus righty pitching, as Song is expected to bounce around the diamond to keep other players fresh.
The lower salary and mutual option is a common tactic for San Diego. It allows them to kick a little over half the contract back to the end of the season. RosterResource calculates their cash payroll around $221MM. Their luxury tax estimate is much higher, landing around $266MM. They’ll be paying the luxury tax for a second straight season. They’re taxed at a 30% rate on spending between $244MM and $264MM, which comes out to a $6MM hit. That jumps to 42% for their next $20MM. Andujar’s salary is low enough that it won’t much impact their CBT ledger, as they’re only paying around $1.25MM in taxes to add him. The Padres could still look for a bench bat and a back-end starter as Spring Training approaches.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post was first on the agreement. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had the one-year, $4MM terms. Heyman reported the mutual option and salary. Will Sammon of The Athletic reported the upwards of $2MM in bonuses.
Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch, Imagn Images.
Great deal for them he’s a good ballplayer.
Rangers fans are Ticked…
Phillies fans should be, too.
Upsetting Philly fans makes me happy.
Because you’re a creep.
libertybell444, classic coming from a philly sports fan
I’m consistent cuz.
Lol that’s fair. Pardon me
Andy is worth more but at least he’s can prove himself.
Andy’s never goin win a Gold Glove out there, but he will tear up lefty pitching though.
Padres get an A+
He’s alright. If he finally figured it out then great. I would like to see how they utilize him
WS bound 🤡
Hmmm and the Giants have how many playoff appearances since 2020? Oh that’s right…..
Decent depth piece. Could see them moving on from Bryce Johnson in a trade now.
They don’t have anyone else to backup CF, for now.
Yeah Johnson isn’t going anywhere
Lol what ? Andujar does nothing that Bryce does. What would trading him get back a d what would be the value if getting rid of him ?
Stove is hot 🥵😤‼️
I’m over here clicking refresh and my fingers keep getting burnt!
Good signing. Go Padres!
Gonna be the DH vs lefties.
This is a great pickup for the padres. The needed a right handed bat.
He should be a full time DH. He really doesn’t have any historical RH issues.
He has a career .720 OPS vs RH and .786 in 2025.
Perhaps he will get some at bats vs righties. Though they will rotate some regs to the DH spot. Which will mainly be vs righties because they can plug song in the field who bats lefty.
Damn wanted the Yankees to sign him. 4 mil is peanuts.
Yeah I know he overachieved based on expected stats, but really thought a 30 YO who has some defensive flexibility (not a great defender) would do a bit better.
Yeah, its a cheap deal. Maybe a replacement for Arias
IKF got $6M!
Salzilla… 1st, great signing for the Padres.
2nd, The Beginning of Andújar’s career with the Yankees was cut short by injuries, unfortunately…. He should have won the ROY for the A.L. back in 2018, what a year he had! ❤️
3rd, Yankees are going after Ty France, or at least that’s the buzz right now around the Yankees Universe Rumour Mill! 🤔😉🤘❤️
But that would mean Cashman would have to admit letting Miggy go in the first place was a mistake. And the GM FOR LIFE would never do that.
Not at all. Andujar has been an ok, not great player.
His torn labrum did him in. He has a career 107 OPS+ in about three full seasons of at-bats so certainly roster-worthy.
But what about all those young players he will block? A Guardians follower wants to know.
He blocks anyone who can hit RHP and anyone who can decently defend, silly.
They should bring in Clint Fraizer as well.
Good for Andujar. He has proved himself a reliable platoon roll player over the past few years and I am happy he is getting his little piece of the baseball dream financial pie.
Why does that make you happy?
Yeah man how dare one person be happy for another? Makes me sick just thinking about it
Michael such a weird take. People talk about how happy they are because a baseball player is making a lot of money. I just think it is so strange to feel that way about baseball players that you don’t know. The same people probably couldn’t care less about a construction worker trying to support his family. These baseball players don’t care about how much money you make. It is just so freaking weird to me that people talk about how much money baseball players make and how happy they are for the baseball player.
Maybe he would be happy for the construction worker too, if he/she could make $4M hitting a baseball. But I doubt he’d be happy for the construction worker if he made $4M remodeling the kitchen in his house, slight overpay.
@Shadowpartner Personally, I think it’s a weirder take to put this much thought into what makes someone else happy.
Andujar was looked at as a bust for a few years after he couldn’t replicate his rookie year, but he’s managed to find a role he adds value in and keep himself in the majors. I’d be happy for him too.
Michael I didn’t put hardly any thought into this whatsoever. I just wonder why you would be happy about how much money a total strangers making. I’m not happy or unhappy for anybody. I just find it strange how people feel this way about how much money a baseball player makes. Sure doesn’t mean I’ll sit around to think about it.
He is going to be the DH vs lefties. A great pickup for the padres. they needed a rhb
Very nice. Was looking forward to seeing Campy RH DH but it sounds like he has a larger role carved out (at least initially). Just a couple more backend starters and I think the team’s got a shot to snag that last wild card.
they can both play vs lhp if they’re both hitting
great fit. mashes against lhp. cheap. great platoon partner with sheets.
Absolutely, for what it’s worth he also hit .290 against RHP last year so it’s not out of the question he could step into a more full time role if there ends up being a need for SD.
Padres get the right-handed bat they have been looking for at a very team friendly price.
Great fit
But the fans don’t like him !
Good signing. He’s pretty bad defensively but he can hit.
DH
Then it’s a good thing that playing DH doesn’t require him to be good defensively.
While he will DH vs lefties. This still allows the DH spot to be rotated to give starters days at DH vs righties. Opening up song to play the field when regulars are getting DH days.
So basically song, Miguel platoon.
That’s definitely the plan out the gate but if the other side of that platoon isn’t carrying its weight I think they will give him at bats against RHP as well, he hit .290 against RHP in more then twice the amount of at bats then he had vs LHP last year. He absolutely crushed lefties but he wasn’t strictly a platoon guy last year either.
not sure if there’s room for him but there’s also wagner to get lh abs
I agree with that, but it’s probably an oversimplification to say it’s a platoon with Song specifically because they have 3 LH hitters who play on the right side of the infield so I think it’s going to be a rotation where we’re seeing Song, Sheets and Cronenworth all DH occasionally against RH.
I doubt Croney ever DHs
Yep. Croney without his glove is Arraez without the .330 average. Not exactly, i.e. Cronenworth has some power, and his bat is good for middle infielder, which is what he is. But yeah, Croney COVERS defense for whoever might take a day off to DH.
If we could somehow trade for Nico Hoerner I would be ecstatic.. It’s a longshot but it would be nice.
That’s a steal at four million, almost as valuable as the Geno deal
I like this…now get get some more arms!!!
If we still get a thick boy like ozuna or goldy I am definitely ok with this depth
Can someone check and see if the Guardians phones are working. Exactly what they needed and cheap and nothing but crickets
If what they needed was yet another guy who can’t hit RHP, can’t field his position, and is both older, more expensive, and more injury-prone than what you have already, you’re absolutely right.
But let’s not miss an opportunity to rip an organization which knows what it is doing and applaud one who doesn’t.
@Avory
The Padres have won more games every season than the Twins the past five years except for 2023. The Padres have twice eclipsed 90 wins in that time period. The Twins, not once.
Maybe cool it with the stone throwing?
Do the twins have free ten wins from the Rockies like the padres did last season?
No win in Colorado is “free”. (Well, traditionally speaking. Last year was a pothole in the Rockies history.)
That’s only half the games, they were 10-13 …
@Informed Sportsball Discussion
Clearly NOT “informed” as clearly my comment was directed at the perpetually negative nancies and chicken littles among the spoiled Cleveland fanbase.
Am most definitely NOT a Twins fan and couldn’t care less what the Padres do. Andujar might be a fine signing, but there’s a reason teams weren’t beating a path to his door.
@Avory
Yes it is what they needed despite your very matter of fact tone.
They need to upgrade from Jonathan Rodriguez.
Much better to have players that can’t hit right handed or left handed pitchers and can’t field their position.
@Our Tribe
An “upgrade” from Jonathan Rodriguez is damning with faint praise. You could pay scores of players the minimum and they’d be an upgrade from Rodriguez. I’m certainly not wasting my time criticizing CLE for not chasing after a mediocrity like Andujar, just another outfielder who is such a sieve defensively that he has trouble producing as many runs as he gives up. Good grief, he’s 31 years old and has all of 2.3 WAR for his career! Pathetic that we agonize over not paying a guy like that millions.
I was hoping the poor old Pirates would get him. I guess now they’ll sign Cutch and some retreaded left handed innings eater and that will be it for them.
Unfortunately you are correct.
Andujar was a good hitter in Pittsburgh but Cherington did not like him.
He is between a starter and a bench player but the Pirates need hitting and although not a power hitter he is still a good hitter and could have DHed.
Watched him come up through the minors when he was a Tampa Yankee. Always rooting for him
Miguel Andujar signed a 1 yr/$4M deal with the Padres. Andujar makes a good platoon mate with Gavin Sheets against LHP. It seems like a lifetime ago (2018) since he was 2nd to Shohei Ohtani for the AL Rookie of the Year. Andujar had a 2.8 WAR that season and since then it’s been (-0.5). Good signing by the Pods and for $4M the risk is limited. He can DH, play a little third and LF in a pinch.
Life is great, and then you die.
Padres RH 1B/DH option
You might say the Guardians and Cavs have very different philosophies.
Yankees legend forever.
Yankees potential trade chip forever.
this yankee fan will always root for miggy two bags. hope he stays healthy and sees the postseason
Pirates are dying rn
Useful player that can be plugged in at several positions against a LHP and also come off the bench when a LHP is brought in. I liked how he was used by A’s a couple years ago and didn’t realize how well he hit with Reds until today.
Mark my words. Dude is going to have a great season
First, Framber’s deal makes King look like a steal, and second the Padres land Andujar well below market.
I was way off, suggesting 5 yrs. / 90M earlier this season. I feel like Andujar can play up to that contract. I wouldnt be surprised if he has a better year at the plate than Bichette.
Stacks the Padres lineup. If Yu retires, they can add an SP too.
I am very surprised that he couldn’t get a higher offer.
Cardinals should have signed him. They want a RH bat.
Nice little pickup. But they haven’t replaced O’Hearn and Arraez production from last year.
I was hoping the Reds would bring him back but the Geno signing kind of negated that, understandably so. He looked great last season, I hope he continues on that trajectory for the Pads
Very nice pickup for the Padres!!
I was hoping my RS would take a flyer on him cuz he is a very good RH hitter & can spell others in the OF corners, plus DH.