Padres Make Moves to Set 40-man Roster
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Padres have selected the contracts of catcher Austin Allen, infielder Ty France, outfielder Edward Olivares and right-handed pitchers Pedro Avila, Anderson Espinoza, Chris Paddack and Gerardo Reyes. In addition, the club acquired right-handed pitcher Ignacio Feliz from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Walker Lockett, infielder Esteban Quiroz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Colten Brewer and infielder Jason Vosler from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Rowan Wick. The club also designated right-handed pitcher Colin Rea and infielders Allen Córdoba, Cory Spangenberg and Christian Villanueva for assignment. Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made today's announcements and the Padres currently have a full 40-man roster.
Allen, 24, spent the entire 2018 season with Double-A San Antonio, hitting .290/.351/.506 with 31 doubles, 22 home runs, 56 RBI and 59 runs scored in 119 games while earning Texas League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star honors. The St. Louis, Mo. native was also named MiLB.com Texas League Player of the Month for June and was tabbed Texas League Player of the Week for April 16-22. The 6-2, 220-pound left-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Padres in the fourth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. Over parts of four minor league seasons, he has hit .290/.350/.459 with 94 doubles, 54 home runs, 233 RBI and 206 runs scored in 405 games played.
The 21-year-old Avila spent the entire 2018 campaign with Single-A Lake Elsinore, going 7-9 with a 4.27 ERA (62 ER, 130.2 IP) across 24 appearances (20 starts). The 5-11, 194-pound right-hander earned California League Mid-Season All-Star honors in 2018, logging a career-high 130.2 innings and leading all Lake Elsinore hurlers with 142 strikeouts. The native of Caracas, Venezuela was originally signed as an international free agent by the Washington Nationals in 2014 before being acquired by the Padres on December 2, 2016 in exchange for catcher Derek Norris. Across parts of four minor league seasons, Avila has gone 29-24 with a 3.59 ERA (166 ER, 416.1 IP) with 496 strikeouts against 143 walks.
Espinoza, 20, joined the Padres organization on July 14, 2016 in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-hander Drew Pomeranz. Espinoza, who was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball and the No. 4 pitching prospect by Baseball America at the time of the trade, spent the 2018 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Over 40 professional appearances (39 starts) between 2015-16, the Caracas, Venezuela native has gone 6-13 with a 3.35 ERA (62 ER, 166.2 IP) and 165 strikeouts against 49 walks with a .248 opponents batting average.
The 24-year-old France split the 2018 campaign between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, setting career highs in hits (136), doubles (30), home runs (22) and runs scored (84). The San Diego State University product was selected by the Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. Over parts of four minor league seasons in the Padres' system, the 6-0, 205-pound infielder has hit .275/.374/.416 with 98 doubles, five triples, 42 home runs, 263 RBI, 246 runs scored and 177 walks in 458 games played.
Olivares, 22, spent the entire 2018 season with Single-A Lake Elsinore, hitting .277/.321/.429 with 25 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, 62 RBI and 79 runs scored in 129 games while earning California League Mid-Season All-Star honors. The Caracas, Venezuela native was acquired by the Padres on January 6, 2018 along with right-hander Jared Carkuff from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Yangervis Solarte. Over parts of five minor league seasons, the 6-2, 186-pound right-handed hitter has hit .271/.339/.436 with 68 doubles, 25 triples, 34 home runs, 172 RBI, 232 runs scored and 68 stolen bases in 342 games played.
The 22-year-old Paddack split the 2018 season between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio, striking out 120 hitters while walking only eight in a combined 90.0 innings pitched, along with a 7-3 record and 2.10 ERA (21 ER, 90.0 IP) in 17 starts. The 6-4, 195-pound right-hander was named 2018 Minor League Pitcher of the Year by Yahoo! Sports, Padres Pitching Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline and a California League Mid-Season All-Star for the Storm. A native of Austin, Texas, Paddack owns a lifetime 13-6 record with a 1.82 ERA (36 ER, 177.2 IP) and 230 strikeouts to 20 walks in 37 appearances (33 starts). Paddack was originally signed by the Miami Marlins as an eighth-round selection in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft before being acquired by the Padres on June 30, 2016 in exchange for right-hander Fernando Rodney.
Reyes, 25, split the 2018 season between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio, going a combined 1-3 with a 2.77 ERA (17 ER, 55.1 IP) and 69 strikeouts against 29 walks in 45 relief appearances. The 5-11, 160-pound right-hander joined the Padres organization on December 19, 2014 as part of a three-team trade between the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals that also brought infielder/outfielder Wil Myers and left-hander José Castillo to San Diego. A native of Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, Reyes owns a lifetime 10-12 record with a 3.15 ERA (71 ER, 202.2 IP) and 220 strikeouts against 93 walks in 152 relief appearances across four minor league seasons. Reyes has yet to allow a run in his 14 relief appearances and 13.0 innings of work in the Mexican Pacific Winter League for Yaquis de Obregón, posting a 0.92 WHIP and a .163 opponents average.
The 19-year-old Feliz spent the entire 2018 campaign with the Arizona Rookie League Indians, going 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA (15 ER, 45.0 IP) and 54 strikeouts to 14 walks with a .207 opponents average in 10 starts. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was originally signed as an international free agent by Cleveland on July 16, 2016. Over parts of three minor league seasons, the 6-1, 180-pound right-hander has gone 7-7 with a 3.77 ERA (42 ER, 100.1 IP) with 96 strikeouts against 44 walks in 23 starts.
Quiroz, 26, spent the majority of the 2018 season with Double-A Portland, including a rehab assignment with Gulf Coast League Red Sox, hitting .283/.406/.547 with five doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 31 RBI in 32 games. The 5-7, 196-pound infielder spent the first seven years of his professional career in the Mexican Baseball League (2011-17) and was named a 2017 Mexican League Mid-Season All-Star with the Yucatán Leones, hitting .293 (84-for-287) with 11 homers and a .428 on-base percentage in 89 games before having his contract purchased by Boston on November 21, 2017. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Quiroz also played for Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, hitting .667 (4-for-6) in three games played with a team-leading two home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. Across parts of eight seasons in professional baseball, he has hit .292/.402/.458 with 90 doubles, five triples, 45 home runs, 207 RBI and 236 walks against 230 strikeouts.
The 25-year-old Vosler split the 2018 season between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, hitting a combined .251/.330/.467 with 29 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs, 93 RBI and 61 runs in 129 games and earning Southern League Mid-Season All-Star honors. The 6-2, 205-pound left-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 16th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. Over parts of five minor league seasons, the West Nyack, New York native has hit .247/.332/.408 with 98 doubles, 11 triples, 58 home runs, 276 RBI and 232 runs scored in 514 games played.