Outfielder Óscar Mercado has chosen to opt out of his minor league contract with the Padres, as reported by MLBTR’s Steve Adams. With San Diego not promoting him, the 29-year-old is now back on the free-agent market.
Mercado, who joined the Padres in the offseason, performed well during Spring Training but did not make the Opening Day roster. He has spent the 2024 season with Triple-A El Paso, where his performance has been underwhelming. Mercado is batting .226/.307/.425 in a hitter-friendly league, with a .231 batting average on balls in play. However, his solid 9.1% walk rate and 16% strikeout rate haven’t translated into better results.
A former second-round draft pick, Mercado played in the majors each year from 2019 to 2023. He showed promise as a potential everyday center fielder with Cleveland in his rookie year, but his production declined significantly since then. Over nearly 500 big league plate appearances since 2020, he has posted a .206/.262/.334 slash line.
Mercado remains versatile, capable of playing all three outfield positions, and has seen action in both center and right field this season. He is also a strong runner, having stolen 12 bases in 16 attempts for El Paso. It is likely that his camp will seek another minor-league opportunity with a team in need of outfield depth.
