Padres Sign Leclerc on Minor League Deal

0:00It's March 28th. Welcome to MLB News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. The San Diego Padres just made it official on March 28th. They've signed veteran reliever Jose LaClair to a minor league deal. This comes after reports last week that they were close to landing him. LaClair has been out most of the year with a bad lat strain and shoulder surgery, but he's eyeing a comeback around July after a recent bullpen session. It's a smart by-low play for the Padres, who are keeping things tight on the budget these days. They've stuck to modest deals lately, even backloading cash on signings like Nick Povetta and Michael King to ease the upfront costs. LaClair is down from that $10 million Pacti got from the A's just over a year ago. Fans see this as depth insurance for a stacked bullpen that lost Robert Suarez, but still has Mason Miller closing games, plus Adrian Morazon, Jeremiah, Estrada, and David Morgan. LaClair brings real pedigree from his Rangers days, where he posted a sharp 3.24 ERA over nearly 300 innings with elite. Strike

1:04outs despite some control issues. He's got a nasty mix of pitches too. Mid-90s fastballs, cutters, sliders and curves that made him a closer and set up man with plenty of saves and holds. His 2025 was wiped out after just 10 outings with the A's, but if he builds upright, he could slide in mid-season. With injuries bound to hit over a 162 game grind, the Padres might not even need to hunt relievers at the August 3 deadline if LaClair pans out.