Once beloved Cleveland Guardians pitcher signs deal with San Diego Padres

Another former Cleveland staple's career is heading further and further away from The Land.

After once being a staple on the mound for the Cleveland Guardians, Triston McKenzie has fallen far behind the curve of being a consistent pitcher in MLB. He played with the organization from 2017 through 2025, but after struggling to find his pitch in recent seasons, the two sides parted ways.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, McKenzie officially moved on from his chapter in Cleveland and signed a Minor League deal with the San Diego Padres. The deal will give McKenzie a fresh start to attempt a career resurgence after he pitched for an ERA of 11.12 in the majors and a 7.17 ERA in the minors last season.

However, he's got the tools to be a consistent pitcher in the league; it's just been a mix of elbow and shoulder injuries that hindered him following his breakout 2022 season.

The Padres and RHP Triston McKenzie have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media. Includes ST invite.

McKenzie owns a 4.07 ERA in 442 MLB innings since debuting in 2020, but struggled to a 5.46 ERA in just 97.1 innings over parts of the last three seasons.
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) December 18, 2025

Back in 2022, McKenzie was hailed as one of the best pitchers in the American League, making 20 starts and posting an ERA of 2.92. At the time, he was ranked in the 75th percentile in Chase%, 68th percentile in strikeout%, 86th percentile in extension and was above the league average in a number of other categories.

His pitching run value was in the 95th percentile, fastball run value in the 97th percentile and breaking run value in the 83rd percentile.

There was hope within the Guardians organization that he would be the team's next ace, or at least No. 2 alongside Shane Bieber, but now, just years later, the two are no longer with the team.

While this is a sad end to the story for Cleveland, the 28-year-old McKenzie will get a chance to refind his form and return to major-league consistency.

The best part for McKenzie is that he will get a chance to play in Spring Training, giving him an opportunity to potentially earn a role on the Padres' major league roster.

The rest of the MLB offseason continues forward with plenty of high-profile free agents remaining open, and a few trade targets remaining open, but the question remains on whether or not the Guardians will join the mix.

The lone notable addition, which at least grabbed headlines, was the signing of reliever Shawn Armstrong to a one-year deal. He'll bolster the bullpen greatly, but Cleveland's front office has to start investing in some bats to reach their full potential in the upcoming season, truly.