What is the story about?
The San Diego Padres are reuniting with two former members of the organization. It was reported Wednesday that former manager Bud Black and former All-Star Wil Myers are joining the front office. Black is going to be a senior advisor to baseball operations and Myers will be a special assignment coach in the player development department according to Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball. Black and Myers each had their own levels of success during their previous stints with the Padres and they both return to the organization with the same
goal of bringing a World Series title to San Diego.
Padres News:
- Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball also went into detail in her piece about Diamond Room, the Padres’ new cocktail lounge located near Gallagher Square. The establishment has a soft opening Friday and will be open to the public, Saturday.
- In his ongoing Padres roster review, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at Bradgley Rodriguez and what he can do during Spring Training to secure a spot in the bullpen to open the 2026 season.
- Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic included a small bit of information about the Padres in his report, Wednesday. He stated San Diego was another team that was aggressively seeking a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Nolan Arenado, adding that had the Padres landed him they would have moved him to first base.
- Nick Solak and Omar Cruz were signed to minor league deals according to a report from Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors. Solak was previously reported to have signed with the Padres according to their transactions tab on the team web site, but Cruz appears to be a new signing despite having been with the organization last season.
- Spring workout dates for all of MLB have been announced. Padres pitchers and catchers report to camp Feb. 11, and the first team workout is Feb. 15. Players competing in the World Baseball Classic will be required to show up earlier than players not competing in the WBC.
Baseball News:
- Free agent pitcher Ranger Suarez and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a five-year, $130 million deal. Boston was the last team in MLB to make a free agent signing this offseason. With Suarez signing with the Red Sox, Framber Valdez is the best free agent pitcher remaining and there are several other starters looking for deals this offseason.
- Reports have come out that free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker may sign with a team this week. After the New York Mets were reportedly offering a short-term deal that would pay Tucker $50 million per season, there is now speculation that the Toronto Blue Jays could be willing to offer him the security he is looking for with a 10-year deal. The Los Angeles Dodgers are also reportedly in the final grouping of suitors for Tucker.
- The 2026 international signing period opens Thursday and clubs across MLB will strike deals with international prospects from around the globe.
- Team USA added to its bullpen for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, getting agreements from relievers Griffin Jax and Gabe Speier, Wednesday.
