Report: Padres agree to 4-year, $16.5M deal with Wandy Peralta

The San Diego Padres have added another arm to their bullpen, agreeing to a four-year, $16.5-million contract with left-hander Wandy Peralta, sources told Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes three opt-out clauses.

Peralta, 32, spent most of the last three seasons with the New York Yankees, where he was a reliable reliever for manager Aaron Boone. Last season, he posted a 2.83 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, along with a career-high 8.5 K/9 and four saves in 63 outings for New York. His only struggles came with limiting walks; Peralta's 5.0 BB/9 rate was his highest in a full season since 2018.

He joins a Padres bullpen that's undergone a major makeover after losing All-Star stopper Josh Hader in free agency. Peralta is the fifth free-agent reliever added by San Diego this winter, following the acquisitions of Yuki Matsui, Woo-Suk Go, Enyel De Los Santos, and Luis Patiño.

Peralta will give new Padres skipper Mike Shildt a third left-handed option late in games, alongside Matsui and Tom Cosgrove. His new weapon can serve as either a middle reliever or in a setup role behind likely closer Robert Suarez.

Over eight big-league seasons with three teams, Peralta owns a 3.88 ERA, 4.50 FIP, and 1.35 WHIP while averaging 7.6 K/9 in 345.2 innings. Peralta's historically done his best work against southpaw hitters, limiting them to a .638 OPS with only 14 homers during his career.