Former Padres Reliever Signs With NL Central Squad

Barlow's fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 91.4 mph in 2023, nearly four mph below his 2021 average. Despite this decline and some control issues, he still struck out 27 percent of batters while walking 12 percent across stints with the Royals, Padres, and Guardians.

His 13.5 percent swinging-strike rate remained above league average, and while he doesn’t generate as many chases off the plate as before, hitters struggle to make quality contact. Barlow's slider and curveball remain effective, generating swings and misses while inducing weak contact.

In addition to his swing-and-miss breaking pitches, Barlow brings valuable durability.

Since his MLB debut in 2018, Barlow has never landed on the injured list and has consistently been a high-usage reliever. He has made at least 61 appearances in each of the past five full seasons and pitched in over half of Kansas City’s games during the shortened 2020 season.

While his heavy workload may have contributed to his velocity decline, his reliability is rare among relievers. Since 2019, only Hector Neris has appeared in more games than Barlow’s 359, and no reliever has logged more innings than his 372.

The 32-year-old posted a 3-3 record with a 4.25 ERA across 63 outings for the Guardians last season before being designated for assignment and released in mid-September.

Since he would have been ineligible for the postseason with a new team and was set to re-enter free agency after the season, he ultimately chose not to sign elsewhere.

Across seven MLB seasons with the Royals, Padres, and Guardians, he holds a 3.49 ERA over 365 appearances.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.