The Padres signed right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to a minors contract, as first reported by the MadFriars X account earlier this week. Edwards has already gotten onto the sphere with an look yesterday with the Padres’ Arizona Complez League squad. That is Edwards’ second stint within the Padres group, after first enjoying for San Diego within the latter half of the 2019 season following a deadline commerce from the Cubs.
That 2019 season ended up being one thing of an unlucky turning level in Edwards’ profession, as coming off three very stable seasons as a member of Chicago’s bullpen from 2016-18, he stumbled to an 8.47 ERA over 17 innings with the Cubs and Padres in 2019. San Diego parted methods with Edwards after the season, and he has since bounced round to 6 completely different organizations, together with one other return journey to the Cubs on a minors deal this previous offseason.
Chicago launched Edwards from that contract in mid-June, as Edwards triggered his opt-out clause with a purpose to drive the Cubs’ hand on deciding whether or not or to not promote him to the large league roster. Edwards had a 1.85 ERA over 24 1/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa, and regardless that the Cubs have been hit onerous by bullpen accidents in the previous couple of weeks, Edwards’ 14.6% stroll charge might need been sufficient of a sticking level for the Cubs to hesitate about bringing him to the majors.
The 32-year-old Edwards will now look to a different former workforce for one more crack at getting his first style of MLB motion in 2024. Regardless of his journeyman standing, Edwards has posted stable outcomes over the past two years with the Nationals, together with a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings in 2022, after which a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings earlier than a stress fracture in his throwing shoulder ended his season early.
It has now been over a 12 months (since June 19, 2023) since Edwards final pitched in a giant league sport, and his work Iowa means that Edwards is a minimum of wholesome, if some questions would possibly stay about whether or not or not he’s able to face massive league batters. There’s no threat for the Padres in inking Edwards to a minors deal to see what he’s acquired, and Edwards now brings an skilled depth choice to a San Diego bullpen that has been considerably inconsistent for a lot of the 12 months.
