The Padres signed a free agent pitcher
The San Diego Padres have experienced a relatively quiet offseason. With their ownership situation and impending sale not yet resolved, the team has not added many players to their payroll. The Padres already lost All-Stars Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, and Robert Suarez in free agency.
To make matters worse for Padres fans, the division-rival Dodgers, who are back-to-back World Series champions, have made major moves. This offseason, the Dodgers signed All-Stars Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz in free agency as they improved their already stacked roster. Meanwhile, the Padres’ only major move has come in re-signing Michael King.
A slew of small moves have followed as the team announced they signed free agent outfielder Miguel Andújar to a one-year deal. The team also became a suitor for former MVP Paul Goldschmidt, but he ended up returning to the Yankees. Now, the Padres have made an acquisition and it comes on a player who was once selected as the fourth overall pick in the MLB Draft.
San Diego Padres Sign Free Agent Pitcher Riley Pint
The Padres announced the signing of pitcher Riley Pint to a minor league contract. Pint was previously selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies. He had previously been committed to playing college baseball with LSU, but opted to sign with the Rockies.
In 2018, Baseball Prospectus described Pint as a player who, “can run his fastball up to triple digits and drop a hammer on hitters who are all geared up for his premium velo. He can also leave the ball over the middle of the plate or miss the plate entirely, which is how a guy with his stuff ends up with an ERA north of 5.00 in Asheville. “Projectable, hard-throwing righty with command issues” is a standard prospect profile, but Pint’s ceiling is special. His floor is also somewhere in Death Valley.”
Unfortunately for Pint, he was never quite able to reach his ceiling with the Rockies. Pint was a member of the Colorado organization from 2016 to 2024. In 2023, he finally reached the major leagues as he had brief stints with the Rockies in 2023 and 2024 seasons. He threw 3.2 innings where he allowed 9 runs. He did strike out 7 batters in 3.1 innings in 2024.
Riley Pint Prospect Profile
The case for Pint having success in San Diego is that the tools and ceiling have always been there for the former top draft pick. When he played with the Rockies, his fastball sat around 95 mph, but he since began working with the Driveline Baseball training facility. Driveline has since announced that Pint’s fastball has gotten as high as 97 mph.
Pint’s career has been interesting, as he even retired in 2021 after dealing with control issues and injuries. Of course, Pint eventually unretired and returned to the Rockies organization in 2022. Unfortunately, he has been unable to shake off injuries, as he was injured in 2025 while a member of the Cleveland Guardians organization. The Padres will hope he finally gets some good fortune in his career and can begin a remarkable turnaround in San Diego.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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