Yonathan

Perlaza

Perlaza is having a good season for the Padres, hitting .298/.382/.486 in 85 games at Triple-A with nine home runs, 11 steals, and 62 RBI. He was good for the Cubs in Triple-A in 2023 as well, hitting .284/.389/.534 with 23 home runs and 13 steals in 121 games at Triple-A before going to Korea and hitting 24 home runs in the KBO in 2024. Perhaps Perlaza gets a shot with the Padres in the second half if they don’t add an outfielder at the trade deadline.

Perlaza is back stateside following his release last month from the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization following an impressive 24-homer campaign overseas. The 26-year-old outfielder put up some big numbers at the Triple-A level back in 2023 with the Cubs organization when he launched 23 homers and stole 13 bases in 121 contests. He’s merely extra organizational depth for the Padres at this stage of his career, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him break through and reach the big leagues at some point next year.

Tough business. Perlaza, a former Cubs minor leaguer, was the Eagles’ best hitter last season, coming in at .275/.364/.486 with 24 homers. He’s still just 26 and he had a .922 OPS in Triple-A in 2023, so he could receive interest from major league teams, presumably on a minor league deal. Other players non-tendered by Korean clubs this week include former big leaguers Eric Lauer, Roenis Elias, Jordan Balazovic and Brandon Waddell. Waddell was cut despite having gone 23-10 with a 2.98 ERA in 43 starts since 2022.

Perlaza will earn $1 million overseas this season in South Korea. The 25-year-old hit .284/.389/.534 with 23 homers and 13 steals across 543 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa. Despite the impressive numbers, Chicago did not tender him a contract, making him a free agent. If he continues to hit well overseas, he could return to MLB next winter.