Jose

Espada

Espada re-signed with the Padres last month shortly after being non-tendered, but will head to Japan for 2024 rather than compete in spring training for a spot in San Diego’s bullpen. The 26-year-old righty made his big league debut back in September with the Padres.

The deal presumably also includes an invitation to spring training. The 26-year-old righty, who was non-tendered earlier this month, sipped a quick cup of coffee with San Diego this past season, making one lone late-September relief appearance. He’ll continue to serve as extra organizational relief depth after compiling a sparkling 2.81 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 110/44 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings (35 appearances, nine starts) last year for Triple-A El Paso.

This will almost certainly be one of the non-tender/re-signed to a minor league deal pairings. Espada just had his contract selected by the Padres in late September, and he pitched one scoreless inning at the end of the year. The 26-year-old had a 2.81 ERA in 83 1/3 innings in the minors.

The 26-year-old hurler has been made 35 appearances between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso this season — compiling a stellar 2.81 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 110/44 K/BB ratio over 83 1/3 innings of work. This is the first trip to the big leagues for Espada.

The 25-year-old hurler spent the 2021 season in the Red Sox organization where he posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 53/16 K/BB ratio over 43 2/3 innings at High-A Greenville. This season, he has toed the slab for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association, registering a 3.61 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 55/16 K/BB ratio across 42 1/3 frames. He’ll add minor league pitching depth for the Padres.