The Padres put together the makings of a left field platoon on Friday.
They found one half close to home. The other half comes in the form of a veteran who will be playing in his 16th major league season.
First, the team agreed to terms with Poway High and University of San Diego alumnus Connor Joe. Then they agreed with Jason Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove winner and World Series champion.
Both of the one-year contracts were confirmed by multiple sources. The team has not announced the deals, and terms were not immediately available, though both contracts were descibed by a source as relatively “low dollar.”
Joe, who bats right-handed, and Heyward, who bats from the left side, are expected to platoon in left field and be options off the bench.
The 32-year-old Joe batted .238/.330/.396 the past two seasons for the Pirates and hit .252/.351/.393 from 2021-22 with the Rockies.
Joe has played both corner outfield spots and first base. Of his 311 career starts, 104 have come in left field. Of the 1,616 games Heyward has started in his career, the six he has startd in left field came last season.
The Padres are looking to piece together playing time in left on a budget after Jurickson Profar, who batted .280/.380/.459 in 158 games in ‘24, signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves last month.
Joe hits significantly better against left-handed pitching (.254/.350/.416 in his career).
Heyward, 35, has batted .256/.337/.410 for six teams over his career. He started 133 games for the Cubs in 2016, the year they won the World Series. He hit .269/.340/.473 just two years ago for the Dodgers and began last season as their starting right fielder before being sidelined by a back injury four games into the season. He went on the injured list again in early July with a bone bruise in his knee.
He was released by the Dodgers on Aug. 24 and signed five days later with the Astros, for whom he played the rest of the season.
Heyward hit .211/.288/.412 in 258 plate appearances for the Dodgers and Astros in 2024. Last year’s numbers include a .214/.298/.422 line against righties.
Joe was drafted 39th overall out of USD by the Pirates in 2014 and made his big-league debut in 2019 for the Giants.
He skipped the 2020 season while undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, which was diagnosed before spring training that year while he was with the Dodgers.
Joe was non-tendered by the Pirates after batting .228/.320/.368 last season. He played mostly at first base in ‘24, starting there 49 times. He made 35 starts in right field and six in left.
This story was updated with news of the Heyward signing.
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