The San Diego Padres went to work addressing some outfield depth concerns, signing infielder/outfielder Connor Joe to a one-year, $1 million deal for the 2025 season. Dennis Lin of The Athletic was one of the first to report that a deal was close with Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune confirming the agreement of a one-year deal. Acee also reported the monetary value of the deal adding that Joe can earn another $1.25 million in incentive bonuses.

Joe, 32, returns to the National League West after spending the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. Initially drafted 39th overall by the Pirates in 2014, Joe bounced around the league spending time in the minors with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. In 2019 he finally cracked through at the big league level making a brief eight-game debut with the Giants where he amassed just one hit in 16 plate appearances. Joe opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies before the 2021 season.

That season served as a breakout for Joe who quickly became a fan-favorite in Colorado after batting .285/.379/.469 with eight home runs in 63 games, accumulating 1.6 rWAR. He took on a more substantial role in 2022 playing in 111 games but the extended exposure did result in a .238/.338/.359 slash along with just seven home runs. He was traded to the Pirates that offseason where in two years he batted .238/.330/.396 with 20 home runs in 256 games.

Joe has profiled as a fairly league-average hitter over his first four full seasons. In his 1,582 plate appearances, he has hit .242/.337/.391 for a wRC+ of 97 and has seen a typical platoon split, with more success against lefties compared to righties. He has a .254/.350/.415 slash and 107 wRC+ against lefties, compared to a .235/.329/.377 line and 91 wRC+ against righties.

A San Diego native, Joe will not get the chance to play for his hometown team and could factor into multiple roles for the Padres much like he did in Pittsburgh. With the departure of Jurickson Profar in free agency, who ended up signing a three-year deal with Atlanta, the Padres have a bit of an unsettled lineup in the outfield. Additionally, helpful depth/bench pieces David Peralta and Donovan Solano are both gone. Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. have center field and right field locked down respectively, but left field is a bit of a toss-up at the moment.

As it stands Tirso Ornelas projects as the top option at the moment despite having no major league experience, but Joe brings depth and versatility to the roster to plug in more than just left field. In his big league career, he has spent substantial time at both corner outfield positions as well as first base. He has five Defensive Runs Saved as an outfielder in his career though Outs Above Average is a bit harsher, giving him a -7 score. However, both metrics consider him above average as a first baseman. Joe’s presence could allow them to utilize him at first base more often and give Luis Arraez more time as the DH or other capacities, or perhaps Joe can slot into the DH spot as well. The defensive positioning seems to be in flux for the Padres and no doubt Joe will get plenty of opportunities to plug in as the team sees fit.

Joe’s strength comes from his bat-to-ball skills at the plate along with his patience. He owns a career 11.1 BB% compared to a just below league-average 21.7 K%. He is prone to solid contact and hits groundballs at a below-league average 40% clip. At the end of the day, he lives up to the phrase of an “Average Joe” considering he isn’t too flashy but contributes in a small way.

The deal comes at a relative bargain considering Joe was projected to earn a little over $3 million in arbitration, a price the Pirates were unwilling to pay as they non-tendered him early in the offseason. Considering the turmoil of the Padres payroll and ownership drama behind the scenes, perhaps a steady and cheap player like Joe is something the team needs right now.