The San Diego Padres announced their first big league signing of the offseason on Monday.
The offseason is starting to really pick up, as shown by the Seattle Mariners reportedly signing Josh Naylor to a five-year deal on Sunday. While the Padres didn’t go that big with their first move of the offseason, they did go with a familiar option. San Diego announced on Monday that it is re-signing 32-year-old hurler Kyle Hart to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season.
“Welcome back to San Diego, Kyle! We have signed left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart to a one-year contract through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027,” the Padres announced on X.
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Hart pitched in 20 games for the Padres in 2025, including six starts. He logged a 5.86 ERA and 37-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his return to the big leagues across 43 innings pitched. Hart pitched for the NC Dinos in the KBO League in 2024 and had a 2.69 ERA and a 182-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 157 innings pitched.
The veteran lefty began the 2025 season as a starter for San Diego and eventually transitioned to the bullpen for the organization. It will be interesting to see how San Diego uses him in 2026, but he’s a flier for the team now with two years of control.
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