Padres Add Three To Player Pool
The Padres announced that they’ve added left-hander Travis Radke and infielders Seth Mejias-Brean and Jason Vosler to their 60-man player pool. All three will head to the club’s alternate training site. The additions bring San Diego’s pool up to a total of 57 players.
Radke, 27, pitched well across three minor league levels in 2019, working to a combined 2.64 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 71 2/3 innings of relief work. He allowed only two home runs in that time and posted a ground-ball rate north of 60 percent as well. A 25th-round pick back in 2014, Radke underwent Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2016 season and much of the 2017 season. Radke has never been considered a high-end prospect within the organization, but he carries a cumulative 2.22 ERA since returning from surgery and also threw well in a 2018 Fall League stint.
Mejias-Brean made his MLB debut with the Friars last season and clubbed a pair of home runs in a brief look that included 33 plate appearances. The 29-year-old can play all over the infield and is a career .269/.334/.382 hitter in just shy of 1500 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
San Diego acquired Vosler, now 26, in the 2018 trade that sent right-hander Rowan Wick to the Cubs. He split his time evenly between first base and third base with the Padres’ Triple-A club last year, posting a quality .291/.367/.523 slash with 20 long balls, 19 doubles and four triples in 425 trips to the plate. Between the right-handed-hitting Mejias-Brean and the lefty-swinging Vosler, the Padres look to have added some largely MLB-ready infield depth that can cover multiple positions and platoon scenarios.
Padres Outright Seth Mejias-Brean, Carl Edwards Jr.; Designate Jacob Nix & Eric Yardley
The Padres have outrighted Seth Mejias-Brean and Carl Edwards Jr. to Triple-A, with the latter having already elected free agency after clearing waivers. The club also designated Jacob Nix and Eric Yardley for assignment.
With the day’s moves, the Friars will bid adieu to Edwards after a brief stay in the organization. He was added as a buy-low candidate in a mid-season swap, but struggled in brief action and ended up going down with injury.
Mejias-Brean was fairly productive at all levels but evidently didn’t convince. The 28-year-old infielder earned his first taste of the majors after slashing .316/.371/.455 in 448 Triple-A plate appearances. He managed two doubles and two dingers in his 33 trips to the plate with the big club.
The future remains unclear for Nix and Yardley. The former had a tough MLB debut showing in 2018 and was then diagnosed with a small UCL tear. He was throwing rather well on a rehab assignment but was arrested in a bizarre incident after the end of the season.
Yardley, 29, was effective all year long at both Triple-A and in a brief MLB debut. All told, he allowed only 17 earned runs in 75 1/3 frames. Yardley didn’t get many strikeouts, but drew huge volumes of grounders and was the rare pitcher who proved largely immune to the long ball in 2019.
Padres Select Seth Mejias-Brean
The Padres announced prior to tonight’s game that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Seth Mejias-Brean from Triple-A El Paso. San Diego also recalled right-handers Eric Yardley and Gerardo Reyes.
It’ll be the first call to the big leagues for Mejias-Brean. The 28-year-old was originally selected by the Reds in the eighth round of the 2012 draft and also spent the 2017-18 seasons with the Mariners before inking a minor league pact with the San Diego organization this winter.
In 117 games with El Paso, Mejias-Brean turned in a strong .316/.371/.455 line with 11 home runs, 18 doubles, three triples and four stolen bases. Beyond those offensive contributions, he provided the Chihuahuas with some versatility, lining up at both shortstop and third base in a roughly even distribution. Brean hasn’t previously performed at such a lofty offensive level, but he’s a career .269/.334/.382 hitter through 1471 Triple-A plate appearances and also has ample express at first base, so he’ll give San Diego some fairly versatile bench depth in the season’s final month.