The 2022 season was unique for the Cleveland Guardians in a number of ways.
They won their division with 92 wins, popularized a style of baseball, and won their AL Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Rays in dramatic manner.
They also had a highly close series with the New York Yankees, but fell in the ALDS.
Behind all of those successes and critical wins was Oscar Gonzalez, a rookie outfielder who appeared to be a potential lineup mainstay.
However, baseball is unpredictable, and Gonzalez was unable to maintain his position in the organization.
He now has another chance to make an MLB team, this time with the San Diego Padres.
Oscar Gonzalez, a former Guardians OF, has signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres for the 2025 season, according to Guardians Prospective on X.
Gonzalez signed the Guardians as an international free agent in 2014 and will make his MLB debut in 2022.
He became a playoff hero in Cleveland that season.
With a 15-inning home run, he advanced the Guardians to the Division Series and eliminated the Rays in an amazing occasion.
Then, in the ALDS against the Yankees, he hit a walk-off single in Game 3 to give Cleveland a 2-1 series lead, which they couldn’t hold in the end.
With a 123 regular-season wRC+ and playoff heroics, he appeared to be a future starter in Cleveland’s outfield.
2023 was a disaster for him, and he lost his spot on the club after posting a 48 wRC+ in 180 plate appearances.
He joined the Yankees and will spend a significant amount of the 2024 season in the minor league system.
He chose free agency before the offseason and is now trying his luck with the Padres.
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