Former Twins corner infielder José Miranda signs a minor league deal with Padres
Former Twins corner infielder José Miranda and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to big league camp during spring training, according to reports Just baseball player Aram Leighton.
The Twins released Miranda in early November after he had a rough 2025 season. He started the year on the Twins’ 26-man roster, but was demoted after hitting .167/.167/.250 (13 OPS+) with one home run and five RBI in 12 games. The relegation came immediately afterwards he made a costly baserunning error.
Miranda struggled mightily when demoted to Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .195/.272/.296 with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 90 games to end the season.
At one point, it looked like Miranda would be a key part of the Twins lineup for years to come. He was the Twins’ No. 3 pick at one point, hitting .268/.325/.426 (114 OPS+) in 483 plate appearances during his rookie season (2022). He was demoted to Triple-A after a rough start to the 2023 season and suffered a season-ending injury in early July, about two weeks after being recalled to the majors.
Miranda had the best season of his career in 2024, with 1.7 bWAR and a .284/.322/.441 (112 OPS+) slash line with nine home runs, four triples, 28 doubles and 49 RBI. He notably tied the record for most hits in consecutive at-bats (12) on July 6, 2024.
Jose Miranda joins Johnny Kling (1902), Pinky Higgins (1938) and Walt Dropo (1952) as the only @MLB players can record a hit in 12 consecutive at bats. pic.twitter.com/pw529FQkr4
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) July 6, 2024
Miranda, 27, can play first and third base. Luis Arráez and Ryan O’Hearn played a lot of first base for the Padres last season, and now that they’re both free agents, it’s possible Miranda could work his way into San Diego’s first base plans. For that to happen, he will need to have a very strong spring training or make an impact early in the minors.
Had Miranda not been a below-average defender, the Twins might have retained him for next season. Minnesota just doesn’t have the roster space for a bad defenseman who can’t seem to hit Triple-A pitching, with a crowded infield featuring Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Luke Keaschall, Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, Kaelen Culpepper and more.
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