San Diego Padres bolster outfield with back-to-back signings of Connor Joe and Hayward

The San Diego Padres are reportedly aggressive in bolstering their left field depth on Friday. According to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell, the Padres are close to a contract with outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe. Subsequently, The Athletic reported that the team had reached a deal with veteran outfielder Jason Heyward. The Padres have yet to confirm the two signings.

Joe, 32, is a San Diego native who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Buccaneers with the 39th pick in 2014 and graduated from the University of San Diego. He played for the Giants, Rockies, and Buccaneers during his five seasons in the major leagues. In 2021, Joe hit a 0.285/.379/.469 batting triple (OPS+116) in 63 games as a Rockies rookie, contributing eight home runs. After a slump in 2022, he was traded to the Buccaneers. In two seasons in Pittsburgh, he contributed 0.726 OPS and nine home runs out of 416 batted at.

Heading into his 35-year-old season, Hayward has a longer career and a richer resume, despite his ups and downs in offensive performance over the past decade. Drafted by the Warriors with the 14th pick in the 2007 draft, Hayward made his highly anticipated major league debut with a home run against the Cubs on April 1, 2010.

After finishing second only to Georgia High School alumnus Buster Posey in the League of Nations Rookie of the Year awards, Hayward contributed 0.769 OPS between 2011 and 2015 and won three of the five consecutive Golden Glove awards. Despite a poor 2016 strike, he helped the Cubs win their first World Series title in 108 years.

Hayward then spent six seasons in Chicago before joining the Dodgers as a free agent in 2023. He excelled in Los Angeles, contributing 0.813 OPS and 15 home runs out of 377 mats as a rotation option. Last season, he played for the Dodgers and Astros, contributing 0.700 OPS and 10 home runs.

With these two signings, the Padres are looking to improve their effortsProfal(Jurickson Profar) leftThe outfield roster has been strengthened, with Jackson Merrill in front of the field and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the right field.