"The Padres and right-hander Triston McKenzie have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The Octagon client will receive an invite to big league camp in spring training. McKenzie, 28, joins a new organization for the first time. He had spent his entire career with the Guardians until he became a free agent at the end of the most recent season. With Cleveland, he once looked like a budding ace. In 2022, he tossed 191 1/3 innings with a 2.96 earned run average."
"But he's unfortunately been on a downward trajectory since then. In March of 2023, he was shut down due to a teres major strain. He returned a few months later but then was diagnosed with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. He avoided surgery but hasn't been able to get back to that 2022 form. After missing most of 2023, he was back on the hill in 2024, but he averaged just 91.1 miles per hour on his fastball."
"That was a notable drop from the 92.5 he averaged two years prior. He posted a 5.11 ERA over 16 starts and spent the final few months of the season on optional assignment, posting a 5.23 ERA at the Triple-A level. He came into 2025 out of options but the Guards didn't want to give up on him. He and the club avoided arbitration in November of 2024 with a $1.95MM deal for 2025, a very slight bump over the $1.6MM he made in 2024."
Triston McKenzie signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres and will receive a big-league spring training invite. McKenzie, 28, left the Cleveland Guardians after spending his entire career there and produced an impressive 2022 season with 191 1/3 innings and a 2.96 ERA. Injuries in 2023 — a teres major strain followed by a UCL sprain — interrupted his development and he has not returned to that form. In 2024 he averaged 91.1 mph on his fastball, posted a 5.11 ERA over 16 starts, struggled in Triple-A, and dealt with control issues while avoiding surgery.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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