Padres, Riley Pint Agree To Minor League Deal

The Padres reached agreement with former fourth overall pick Riley Pint on a minor league contract, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Pint’s training facility, Driveline Baseball, announced the signing last week.

It’s a return to the NL West for the 28-year-old righty. Pint was a top five pick by the Rockies out of high school in 2016. He spent the first eight seasons of his career in the Colorado organization. A lack of command pushed Pint to the bullpen, but he didn’t find much more success in short relief. Pint actually announced his retirement while in High-A in 2021. He made a comeback the following season and pitched his way onto the 40-man roster by the end of the season.

Pint got to the big leagues briefly, combining for five appearances between 2023-24. He sat around 95 MPH on the fastball and with an upper 80s slider. Pint fanned seven in 3 2/3 innings but the control still wasn’t viable. He issued eight walks, hit two batters, and threw four wild pitches. The free passes resulted in nine runs coming across the board. Colorado outrighted him in the second half of ’24. Pint had a 4.12 ERA with a massive 36% strikeout rate but an untenable 21% walk rate in Triple-A that year.

The Guardians signed Pint to a minor league contract last offseason. He was placed on the injured list not long after and missed the entire season with an undisclosed issue. Pint was healthy enough to throw a showcase for scouts last month and Driveline announced that he got the fastball as high as 97.  Pint has always had good velocity, but it’s encouraging to see the arm speed return after his lost year. He’s a dart throw for the Padres who should begin the season at Triple-A El Paso.