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The San Diego Padres have signed free agent OF/3B Miguel Andujar, which Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported earlier this evening. Andujar, age 30, agreed to a one-year deal for $4 million this upcoming season, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Andujar’s deal also includes a “1 year plus mutual option with a 1.5 million dollar salary for 2026”, states Jon Heyman.

Andujar was considered one of the best right-handed bats still available in the free agent market. Andujar put up a strong season in 2025, posting a .318 batting average with 10 home runs, 44 RBI’s, .822 OPS, and 125 OPS+ in 94 games between the Athletics and Reds in 2025.

Andujar Can Hit Left Handed Pitching Really Well

Andujar has always been a strong hitter against left-handed pitching, with a career .807 OPS against them, according to StatMuse. This translated into 2025, when Andujar posted an impressive .986 OPS in 90 at-bats against left-handed pitching between the Athletics and Reds, per StatMuse.

Andujar was traded from the A’s to the Reds at the 2025 MLB trade deadline last season, where he excelled even further in Cincinnati, hitting for a .359 batting average with the Reds and posting a .944 OPS in 34 games.

Andujar Had Lots Of Potential Suitors This Winter

The Padres were one of several teams that expressed significant interest in Andujar’s services earlier in the offseason, per Jon Heyman. Other teams reportedly interested included the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Rangers, and Athletics, Jon Heyman reported last month. 

Andujar came up as a rookie sensation in 2018 as the everyday third baseman for the New York Yankees, in which he posted a 2.8 WAR with a .297 batting average, 27 home runs, 92 RBI’s, and a 1.482 OPS in 147 games.

Andujar ultimately finished second that season in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting, trailing Shohei Ohtani. Still, it was nonetheless a season to remember for him, what many thought at the time would be a future franchise cornerstone player for the Yankees.

GettyNEW YORK, NY – JULY 21: Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees celebrates scoring a run in the fourth inning against the New York Mets during their game at Yankee Stadium on July 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

It ultimately didn’t pan out that way. A shoulder injury in the following season that resulted in him missing the majority of the 2019 season and losing his starting job to third baseman at the time, Gio Urshela, left Andujar with a difficult transition back into an everyday role with the Yankees in 2020, in which he was ultimately later DFA’d by the Yankees in September of 2022.

There was some conversation that the Yankees could maybe try to reunite with Andujar this offseason because of their heavy search for another right-handed bat, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post alluded to earlier this week. Still, Andujar nonetheless ends up in San Diego with the Padres.

Andujar has gone on to carve out a nice career for himself, holding stints with the Pirates and, most recently, the Reds and A’s last season. Andujar is a player who can, at the very least, fit on a major league team’s depth chart as a platoon or bench option that can hit very well against left-handed pitching.

The one issue with Andujar is that he’s not a great defender, as he posted a -6 OAA (outs above average) in 2025, according to Baseball Savant. Andujar has never particularly been great with the glove, especially during his time with New York, but there’s zero doubt when it comes to his abilities as a professional hitter.

Matt Cunningham Matt Cunningham is an Endicott College Graduate with a Bachelor’s in Sport Management. He is an avid follower of Major League Baseball, a Heavy Sports Contributor for the Yankees and all 30 MLB teams, and a Member of the MLB Fan Council. More about Matt Cunningham

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