The San Diego Padres added to their outfield depth with the signing of Connor Joe on Saturday and the reported agreement to terms, also on a one-year contract, with veteran Jason Heyward.
Multiple media outlets reported that Heyward, 35, will be joining center fielder Jackson Merrill and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., as well as Joe, who also plays first base. Merrill and Tatis were All-Stars in 2024, as was left fielder Jurickson Profar, who signed as a free agent on Jan. 23 with the Atlanta Braves.
Heyward split last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who released him on Aug. 24, and the Houston Astros before becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
He batted a combined .211 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 87 games while dealing with back and knee injuries.
Heyward is a career .256 hitter with 184 homers and 718 RBIs in 1,790 regular-season games. He also has batted .145 with two homers and seven RBIs in 45 playoff games, winning the World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
A National League All-Star in his rookie year of 2010, Heyward is a five-time NL Gold Glove right fielder. He has played for the Braves (2010-14), St. Louis Cardinals (2015), Cubs (2016-22), Dodgers (2023-24) and Astros (2024).
The Braves selected Heyward 14th overall in the 2007 MLB Draft.
Joe, 32, is a San Diego native who played at Poway High and the University of San Diego before embarking on his professional career. He was teammates with future National League MVP Kris Bryant for two seasons (2012-13) at USD.
Joe was a first-round pick (39th overall) in the 2014 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and first reached the majors with the San Francisco Giants early in the 2019 season.
Joe didn’t play in 2020 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing surgery.
He spent the next two seasons with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the Pirates.
He played the last two years with Pittsburgh and hit .238 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 123 games last season.
Overall, Joe has a .242 career average with 35 homers and 141 RBIs in 438 career games.
–Field Level Media
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