Padres Sign Former Pirates First Baseman
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Former Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman and outfielder Connor Joe will have a homecoming in 2025.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that Joe is closing in on a deal with the San Diego Padres. Joe, 32, was born in San Diego and played his collegiate career at the University of San Diego before the Pirates drafted him in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Joe was non-tendered by the Pirates earlier this offseason.
Poway High's Connor Joe is close to a deal with the Padres, per sources.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 7, 2025
Joe did a little bit of everything for the Pirates last season. He played 79 games at first base, 44 in right field and six in left field. At the plate, he posted a .228/.320/.368 slash line with nine home runs and 36 RBIs across 416 plate appearances. Each of those numbers was a decline from his performance in 2023, when he batted .247/.339/.421 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs across 472 plate appearances.
Joe has also played for the San Francisco Giants (2019) and Colorado Rockies (2021-2022).
In his first stint with the Pirates, Joe was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 2017 before he could ever reach the big leagues. From there, he found his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds before he was traded to the Giants. The Giants designated Joe for assignment after he played in eight games in 2019 and he sent back to the Dodgers.
The right-handed hitting first baseman and outfielder then signed with the Rockies ahead of the 2021 season. After spending the ensuing two seasons in the Mile High City, Joe was traded back to the Pirates before the 2023 season.
The best season of Joe's career came in 2021 with Colorado, when he slugged eight home runs and drove in 35 RBIs while posting a .285/.379/.469 across 63 games and posted a 1.6 Wins Above Replacement..
