The Padres had until Friday evening to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their six arbitration-eligible players. Good news for Friars fans:
None of them are going anywhere.
San Diego signed pitcher Bryan Mitchell and infielder Greg Garcia (a Valhalla High School alum) to 1-year contracts and tendered contracts to catcher Austin Hedges, outfielder Travis Jankowski, and pitchers Kirby Yates and Robbie Erlin.
The latter four still have the chance to work out a contract with the team. If that doesn't work out the team and the player will submit an offer to a neutral mediator who then decides where the happy medium is.
Mitchell was acquired in a trade with the Yankees and struggled mightily. He was shut down for a few months with a sore elbow. He came back at the end of the year and showed improved command that probably saved his spot on the 2019 roster. Garcia came over in an off-season trade with the Cardinals. They were both entering their first year of arbitration eligibility.
Yates turned into an All-Star-caliber reliever and took over closer duties after Brad Hand was traded to Cleveland mid-season. Erlin was ineffective as a starting pitcher but for the most part threw well in a long relief role. Jankowski earned playing time with improved plate discipline and solid late-inning defense.
And then we have Hedges. One of the top-5 defensive catchers in baseball, Austin had his best offensive season in 2018 with a .711 OPS in 91 games. But he'll never be the kind of threat with the bat that fellow backstop Francisco Mejia (the return from the Hand deal) is.
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Hedges is going to be the subject of trade talks heading into, and perhaps after, the MLB Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in December. His name has been mentioned often in any possible deal for Mets ace Noah Syndergaard.
