Padres sign veteran reliever to minor-league contract

The San Diego Padres are known to make a lot of trades, especially around this time of year, with the 2026 season starting on Wednesday. Manager A.J. Preller loves to build his team through trades, but he has not done so since the last trade deadline. On Monday, the Padres signed a free agent reliever, which gives signals that the Padres could be planning a trade here very soon.

The Padres have signed former Texas Rangers closer Jose Leclerc to a minor-league contract.

“According to my sources, Dominican right-handed pitcher José Leclerc is close to reaching an agreement with the San Diego Padres. Leclerc, who was a key part of Texas’ bullpen during the 2023 World Series, is healthy and ready to compete.”

Jon Heyman then confirmed that it will be a minor-league deal.

The Padres already contain a deep bullpen, arguably the best in the league. Even with Robert Suarez leaving for the Atlanta Braves, the Friars expect to win a lot of games because of the bullpen’s strengths. Leclerc could be a great addition at some point in the season. Mason Miller will be the closer with Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, and Jason Adam as the setup trio. Yuki Matsui, David Morgan, and Kyle Hart are great options as well.

Because of this depth, Preller could be bringing Leclerc in as insurance in case he wants to make a trade for a starting pitcher. Preller has done this before by trading for Dylan Cease and Sean Manaea right before the season.

After years of success with the Texas Rangers, winning a World Series in 2023, Leclerc last pitched for the Athletics in 2025. He appeared in only 10 games, finishing with a 6.00 ERA in 9.0 innings. He had one hold and two blown saves. In SD, he likely won’t be asked to pitch in high-leverage situations right away.

San Diego also named Nick Pivetta the Opening Day starter on Monday.