Brad Miller Signs Minor League Deal With San Diego Padres
The Padres have not made any “splashy” free agent moves before the start of the 2024 regular season. However, they are still quietly getting things done. Case in point, today infielder Brad Miller signs a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres; and has an invite to camp to earn a spot on the bench.
AJ Cassavell of MLB.com was the first to break the news about this decision by the gold and brown franchise. Cassavell reveals,
Some news: The Padres have signed longtime infielder Brad Miller to a Minor League deal with an invite to big league camp. A lefty hitter, he’s expected to vie for a bench spot.
Why does a move like this make perfect sense for the San Diego ball club? First of all, the guy bats left. The Padres are WAY short on lefties; so that aspect alone is a plus.
Secondly, it means additional veteran leadership. Miller is mid-30s and has played basically every position on the field besides catcher. His experience could prove to be a real asset as the Padres continue to ready their younger players.
The Padres have made it clear all offseason that they are switching gears from snagging guys in free agency to utilizing more of their “homegrown” athletes from their farm system. Which is not a bad plan; being that the Padres currently have one of the top farms to pull from now and in the near future. However, not every kid is ready for the Show; and the ones that do make it up will still require some molding and adjusting.
Here’s where having more vets could be useful. Taking the youngins’ under their wings, players like Miller or Yu Darvish, could help them to further their advancement. Catcher Brett “Sully” Sullivan benefited last season (2023); by getting some hitting advice from World Series champ, Xander Bogaerts. After receiving helpful Xander guidance, Sully would go on to win the game by blasting two home runs in different innings. Veteran leadership is helpful.
Brad Miller Signs Minor League Deal With San Diego Padres
Nevertheless, Miller still has to make the team. While he has mainly played at 2nd base and SS; those positions are well covered with Kim and Bogaerts. So then, despite being mainly an infielder; the Padres may be looking to see if he can fill in somewhere in the OF; since he does possess some experience at those positions.
With Jackson Merrill playing well at CF, and Tatis being a BEAST at RF; so far LF is looking like the spot the Padres are still working on filling; at a decent price.
Over his career, Miller is a .236 hitter with 123 homers and 405 RBI. His best season in a span of 11 years; came in 2016 when he hit 30 homers for Tampa Bay. He also posted a 20 homer season in 2021 for Philadelphia. In Seattle as a Mariner, he hit 29 homers over three years and hit .248.
The Padres have widdled themselves down to 47 men. They have some big decisions to make with Opening Day being days away; and to get down to 40. We’ll just have to see which way they wish to go and what they think of Miller.
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