The San Diego Padres have added depth at the catcher position, agreeing to terms with free agent Wil Nieves. Nieves will receive a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The news was first reported by Corey Brock of MLB.com.
Nieves, 37, was originally drafted by San Diego in the 47th round of the 1995 draft. He made his big league debut in 2002 with the Padres and hit .181 in 76 plate appearances.
Nieves has bounced around quite a bit in his career and spent 2014 with the Phillies, where he produced a slash-line of .254/.270/.344 with a homer and seven RBI. For his career, Nieves has a batting line of .243/.281/.317 in parts of 11 big league seasons with seven different clubs.
Nieves will compete with newly acquired Tim Federowicz for the backup catcher role behind Derek Norris. Nieves also gives the Padres a veteran option in Triple-A, in case of an injury.
Nieves is also an example of perseverance, as he is the latest draft pick in Padres history to play for the club. He also caught Jake Peavy’s second Major League win in his big league debut. The Padres will open up Spring Training on February 19th.