Padres sign reliever Wandy Peralta
Sep 9, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Wandy Peralta (58) pitches in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres signed lefty reliever Wandy Peralta to a four-year deal on Wednesday.
The 2023-24 offseason has been a relatively quiet one by A.J. Preller’s standards. After the Juan Soto megadeal, it mostly has been a smattering of relievers signed.
Mark another one, as the Padres appear to have a deal with Wandy Peralta.
Free-agent left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta in agreement with Padres on four-year, $16.5M contract with three opt-outs, sources tells me and @dennistlin. Deal is pending a physical.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 31, 2024
According to reports, the deal has three opt-out clauses attached. The average annual value is just north of $4 million.
This means the Padres have likely just under $20 million remaining before they hit the first luxury tax threshold.
Peralta is yet another Yankees hurler to join the Padres, after the Soto deal netted San Diego Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, and Drew Thorpe.
The Dominican lefty has been a steady presence in the Yankees bullpen for the better part of three seasons.
Since 2021, he has averaged 58 appearances with a solid 2.96 ERA. During his time with the Yankees, he had a 56.5% ground ball rate, well above league average in the 94th percentile.
He induces weak contact, as his average exit velocity allowed ranked in the 89th percentile last season.
Peralta primarily uses three pitches- changeup, sinker, and slider, while occasionally mixing in a four-seam fastball. His velocity usually hovers in the mid-90s. Hitters slugged a meager .254 against his sinker last season.
He certainly will be another weapon the Padres deploy against tough lefty batters. Here he is striking out All-Star Yordan Alvarez with a nasty slider.
While the Padres still have a host of other needs, this move further solidifies what should be a strength for the Padres, in the bullpen.
The southpaw has not turned in an ERA+ lower than 129 since 2019.
He joins additions Woo Suk Go and fellow lefty Yuki Matsui in a fortified Padres bullpen. Adrian Morejon and Tom Cosgrove are the other lefties at manager Mike Shildt’s disposal.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.