Padres roster moves; Wingenter, Strahm, Castillo non-tendered

The San Diego Padres made several roster moves as the deadline to non-tender players for the 2022 season hit on Tuesday.

As expected, the Padres offered contracts to Tim Hill and Dinelson Lamet for the coming season.

Surprisingly, the team non-tendered Matt Strahm and agreed to a one-year $2.3 million deal with Emilio Pagan. Strahm battled injuries the past few seasons and was deemed too expensive. Pagan allowed a ton of big runs coming out of the bullpen in 2021 but was retained by the Padres.

Below is a complete roundup of the moves that were made on Tuesday.

Agreed to 1-year contract for 2022

LHP- Tim Hill $1.325 million

Hill was a godsend last year for the Padres, recording a 3.62 ERA and eating up 59.2 innings out of the pen for San Diego. Hill battled a little bit of inconsistency in 2021 from month to month but did pitch in 78 games for the Friars. Hill recorded a 1.42 ERA in the first two months and struck out 17 batters in 12.2 innings pitched. The funky lefty is not due for free agency until the 2025 season and could be a mainstay until then.

RHP- Emilio Pagan  $2.3 million

The Rays former closer had a rough 2021 season in which he recorded a -0.4 WAR and a 4.83 ERA. The stuff from Pagan is not an issue as his fastball tops out at the 96-98 mph range. Location often is an issue, and the fact that his fastball is straight is another issue. The Padres will gamble that Pagan will come around and perform to his abilities. The team may keep the right-handed pitcher on a short leash as he simply has not been effective for the Padres.

RHP- Austin Adams   $925 K

Adams led all of the majors in hit batters last year with a grand total of 24 in 52.2 innings pitched. The slider he throws is completely filthy, but Adams has no idea where the pitch is going more often than not. He put up a 4.10 ERA last year as he simply walks too many batters (35). The Padres will try to refine his mechanics and get more consistency from him. There is an ability to close for Adams, but he needs to show entirely way more composer on the mound first.

RHP- Dinelson Lamet  

The Padres wisely offered Lamet a deal for next season, as his ability is astronomical. However, the right elbow is not healthy and the thought is that it may never be until surgery happens. The Dominican pitcher has not elected to go that route, and the Padres will once again hope he can make it through an entire season in 2022. The upside is ridiculously high with Lamet, but his best pitch (slider) often hurts his elbow. The thinking is that Lamet may be useful out of the bullpen for the Padres. But there are a lot of question marks here heading into the new seasons.

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Non-tendered

RHP- Trey Wingenter

27-year-old Trey Wingenter has not thrown a pitch in the majors since 2019. The right-handed pitcher underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2020. Recent back injuries sidelined the pitcher last season as he returned to action in the ACL League. The Padres may try to bring him back on a minor league deal.

LHP- Matt Strahm

Numerous injuries kept Matt Strahm from reaching his potential with the Padres. The lefty could not return late last year as knee issues kept the pitcher from throwing more than the 6.2 innings registered in San Diego. Strahm made $2 million last year and was deemed too expensive by the Padres on Tuesday. He will likely surface somewhere with a major league deal.

LHP- Jose Castillo

In March of 2021, Jose Castillo underwent Tommy John surgery. He will likely not return to the mound until very late next year, and the Padres decided to part ways with the lefty. Castillo has a very nice arm, but unfortunately, the native of Venezuela has not been able to stay healthy. He is still 25, and the Padres may explore retaining him somehow.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.