San Diego Padres Sign Veteran Second Baseman

Headed to San Diego.

The San Diego Padres have signed veteran second baseman Rougned Odor to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training.

Padres agree to deal with Rougned Odor

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2023

Odor broke into the majors as a 20-year-old with the Rangers in 2014 and quickly established himself as one of baseball's top young second basemen. He hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2016 and played solid defense at the keystone position.

How about a 42.8 mph double from Rougned Odor that was described as a "sharp" ground ball pic.twitter.com/ArlQdFBERc

— Losses Above Replacement (@LAR_Baseball) February 23, 2023

However, his plate discipline has been a constant concern throughout his career, with a career 3.8% walk rate and a 26.9% strikeout rate.

Odor's production has declined significantly in recent years, holding a .201/.274/.398 triple-slash line since 2019. He has taken more walks during this time, but his rate of 7.6% is still below average, and his strikeout rate has skyrocketed to 27.8%.

While he played some third base with the Orioles last year, he is not an experienced shortstop, and his left-handedness is not in his favor for a utility or platoon role with the Padres.

Nonetheless, the Padres have invited Odor to big-league camp, where he will have the opportunity to compete for a bench spot on the team's Opening Day roster.

While his power output has diminished in recent seasons, Odor, still just 29-years old, could make for an intriguing option for the Padres, who are looking to bolster their infield depth.

For his nine-year career, Odor holds a .231/.287/.425 triple-slash line, 174 home runs, 550 RBIs, 68 stolen bases and 520 runs scored over 1,095 games played. Photo Credit:  Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports