Padres Sign Reliever Wandy Peralta To Four-Year, $16.5 Million Deal

The San Diego Padres reportedly signed relief pitcher Wandy Peralta to a four-year, $16.5 million contract Wednesday. The deal is contingent on a physical.

Peralta’s contract contains an opt-out clause for each of the first three seasons. Peralta, 32, most recently played for the Yankees but has also played for the Reds and Giants since his 2016 debut.

The left-handed reliever was inconsistent in Cincinnati and San Francisco but settled in extremely well in New York, earning a sub-3.00 ERA in nearly three full seasons with the Yankees. He never earned serious consideration as a closer but was always a dependable and highly durable arm.

Peralta is yet another bullpen addition for San Diego, which has signed multiple relievers in the 2023-24 offseason. The team has also signed Korean free agent Woo Suk Go and Japanese free agent Yuki Matsui, and traded for five-year veteran Enyel De Los Santos.

“Starting pitching and (bullpen) are the two areas that we’ve got the two biggest needs right now,” President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said in December.

The Padres seem to be entering a relatively spendthrift 2024 season. The team parted ways with Juan Soto and Josh Hader but has loaded up on prospects and promising free agents to bolster its supporting cast. Last year, the team vastly underperformed, leading the front office to improve the bullpen and other finer points in the offseason.

With stars Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado still in the lineup, the Padres have the pieces to build a playoff-caliber team, but their poor effort last year has led to a significant restructuring effort. It remains to be seen if these additions in key supporting roles will allow the team to make the most of its star power in an increasingly crowded NL West division.