The Padres have agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with veteran infielder/designated hitter Miguel Andujar, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Andujar, who turns 31 in March, can earn $2 million more in performance bonuses.
The club has not confirmed the move.
For those still hoping Andujar can recapture the form he found in his rookie season with the Yankees back in 2018, his 2025 campaign was an excellent sign. Andujar played in just 94 games, missing over a month with a right oblique strain, but he posted a .318/.352/.470 slash line in 94 games between the Athletics and Reds.
Mainly splitting time among three positions (third base, left field and designated hitter) in 2025, Andujar offers positional versatility and a potent right-handed bat to either occupy a starting spot or come off the bench. His 10 homers were a far cry from the career-best 27 he hit with New York back in 2018, when he finished second in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting to Shohei Ohtani, but he still showed some power, hitting 17 doubles and driving in 44 runs.
Considered a top-100 prospect by MLB Pipeline at the time of his standout rookie year, Andujar was limited to just 12 games the following season due to a right shoulder strain and subsequent labrum tear. He played in just 93 games over the next three years with the Yankees before being claimed off waivers by the Pirates late in 2022.
A year later, he was a waiver claim again by the A’s, even after a solid 30-game sample (.250/.300/.476) for Pittsburgh in 2023. Andujar posted a .697 OPS in 75 games for the A’s in 2024 but built on his numbers in the first half of 2025, allowing the club to flip him to Cincinnati at the Trade Deadline. Andujar was excellent for the Reds, posting a .359/.400/.544 batting line with four home runs in 110 plate appearances.
Andujar, who came up as a third baseman in the Minor Leagues, possesses a strong throwing arm — his average arm strength of 92.5 mph ranked in the 94th percentile of MLB in 2025. That belied his limited range both at third and in the outfield, as Andujar had -4 Outs Above Average at the hot corner and -3 OAA in left field. The Reds played him nearly exclusively at designated hitter, and given Andujar’s defensive limitations and his success at the plate, the DH spot could be the best fit for him as he enters his age-31 season.
