SF Giants first baseman with brief stint in 2024 lands with division rival

Trenton Brooks' brief foray into free agency has come to an end. The former SF Giants first baseman has joined the San Diego Padres on a minor league deal according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants first baseman with brief stint in 2024 lands with division rival

Presumably, this will include a camp invite. That being said, it will be tough for Brooks to crack the Padres major league roster barring a spate of injuries. They are relatively set in the infield with Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, and Luis Arráez.

Of course, slick-fielding Ha-Seong Kim is now a free agent and probably has a few reasons to stay within the division. On the other hand, Bogaerts and Cronenworth are coming off of down years and
Arráez is a borderline non-tender candidate despite leading the NL with a .314 batting average.

The Padres are coming off of a 93-win season and posed the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 postseason. They have a talented overall roster.

Brooks came over to the Giants in a rare trade between the A's that sent Sean Newcomb to Oakland near the end of the 2023 season. Newcomb posted a 4.32 ERA in parts of two seasons with the A's while spending considerable time on the injured list.

On the other hand, Brooks finished out the 2023 campaign with the Sacramento River Cats, posting an .847 OPS with six home runs and 19 RBI in 111 plate appearances following the trade. Brooks has generally posted strong numbers in the minors but rarely demonstrated the type of power that you would expect from a first baseman. Though, he has shown a knack for reaching base at a high rate.

The lefty bat continued to put together solid numbers this past season before earning a brief promotion to the major league roster. He tallied just three hits in 25 at-bats. Despite his struggles, Brooks did bring a good at-bat quality to the table in a limited showing.

The Giants outrighted Brooks off of the 40-man roster midway through the year but he remained with the organization and finished the year in Sacramento. Overall, he registered a .302/.410/.453 line with 10 home runs and 58 RBI in 407 plate appearances this past season with Sacramento.