Former Chicago Cubs Veteran Signs Minor League Deal With Padres

After opting out of his contract with the Chicago Cubs this long-time outfielder has found a new home in San Diego.

Mar 20, 2024; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter David Peralta. / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

With no room to find playing time with the Chicago Cubs, David Peralta signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres, per the Padres.

He’s already reported to Triple-A El Paso and played in a game, as he 2-for-4 with an RBI on Saturday.

Peralta opted out of his deal with the Cubs on May 10 after he wasn’t able to crack the Major League roster and a short stint on the Iowa Cubs’ injured list. Peralta joined Chicago on a minor-league deal on Feb. 23 with a spring training invite.

With Iowa he slashed .217/.341/.348/.689 with two home runs and eight RBI in 20 games. Even though the Cubs have dealt with outfielder injuries, including Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, his play didn’t warrant a call-up.

With the Padres he’ll hope heading back to the west coast will do something for his chances of getting back to the Majors.

The 36-year-old left-handed hitter, who hails from Venezuela, spent the majority of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks after he broke in during 2014. He won a Silver Slugger in 2018 and won a Gold Glove in 2019, but he never made an All-Star team. Still, he was a reliable player for the D-backs as he slashed .283/.340/.463/.803 with 110 home runs and 468 RBI.

He’s bounced around the past couple of seasons.

Midway through 2022, Arizona traded Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays for catcher Christian Cerda. After the Rays didn’t re-sign him, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last season where he batted .259.