San Diego Padres Take a Low Risk Bet on Jose Miranda

[Cody Christie]

According to Just Baseball and Aram Leighton, the San Diego Padres have signed Jose Miranda to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training. For the Padres, it is a low-risk upside play on a hitter who not long ago looked like a reliable middle-of-the-order presence. For Miranda, it is another opportunity to prove that his best baseball is not already behind him at age 27.

For a moment, it felt like the Twins had uncovered yet another homegrown bat. Miranda arrived in 2022 as a former second-round pick and top-100 prospect and eventually settled in after a rocky introduction to the majors. He finished his rookie season hitting .268/.325/.426 (.751) with a 116 wRC+, popping 15 home runs and 25 doubles in 483 plate appearances. 

A shoulder injury derailed Miranda’s 2023 season almost immediately. Installed as the Opening Day third baseman, he struggled badly before undergoing surgery, finishing the year with a .211/.263/.303 (.566) line. While the injury offered some explanation, it also introduced real questions about whether Miranda’s bat would ever fully bounce back.

In 2024, he appeared to answer some of those concerns. Miranda rebounded with a .284/.322/.441 (.763) slash line and a 112 OPS+ across 121 games. The production returned, but so did the physical issues. Repeated back injuries shortened his season and prevented him from building any real momentum heading into the following year.

Then came 2025, when everything unraveled. Miranda made the Opening Day roster but quickly looked overwhelmed. Through 12 games, he hit just .167 with 13 strikeouts in 36 plate appearances. His timing was off, the quality of contact evaporated, and the Twins sent him back to St. Paul. Things only worsened there. After a freak accident while carrying bottled water, Miranda struggled throughout the year, slashing .195/.272/.296 (.569) in 90 games with the Saints. His once reliable bat to ball skills disappeared as he chased pitches and failed to drive mistakes.

It was a shocking fall for a player who had looked like one of the Twins most dependable hitters just a year earlier. Miranda’s four year run in Minnesota ended with a .263 average, 28 home runs, and a 101 OPS+. He remains a bat first corner player with limited defensive value and pronounced reverse splits, but the talent has not vanished entirely.

For the Padres, this is a simple gamble. If Miranda can rediscover even a portion of his former self, the reward could be meaningful. If not, the cost is minimal.

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[twinstalker]

They think it's low-risk, but then he gets 23 hits in a row, and you start doing stupid stuff.

[Jeff K]

I think there is a pretty good argument that his "beaning" had a negative impact on his approach.

[bean5302]

I think there's a fair chance a change of scenery turns Miranda around. Here's hoping it works out for the Padres and Miranda. 

[Cris E]

The bad hitting directly ties back to the date of the HBP. Directly. If it really is a concussion then these things can take a long time to recover from, as shown by the careers of Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Koskie, etc. But if San Diego has the roster space and patience to let him hang out and recover they could be looking at a nice prize in 3-30 months. Best of luck to him.

[CRF]

He absolutely was never the same after the head shot. Hope he does ok for the Pads. 

[Dman]

He needed a fresh start.  He isn't a great fit for this team right now anyway.  I hope he can get back to MLB and perform well there once again.  Might take some time but he always had good bat to ball skills.

[Doctor Wu]

11 hours ago, CRF said:

He absolutely was never the same after the head shot. Hope he does ok for the Pads. 

I have no recollection of this HBP, beaning, or whatever happened. When and where did it happen? But that could indeed have been a huge factor in his downward spiral. 

[Doctor Wu]

On 12/20/2025 at 3:04 AM, Cody Christie said:

After a freak accident while carrying bottled water,

Where did that happen? I assume this was a separate issue from the beaning that was also mentioned by some other posters. 

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Where did that happen? I assume this was a separate issue from the beaning that was also mentioned by some other posters. 

Wasn't it at a store perhaps even one named Target.

[bean5302]

Jose Miranda's HBP in head was 07/28/2024.
https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/jose-miranda-hit-by-pitch-willi-castro-to-2nd

Before HBP, Miranda was .324/.367/.517 OPS .884 wRC+ 149 BABIP .349, 5.0% BB, 13.5%K, .193 ISO
After the HBP, Miranda was .211/.236/.303 OPS .539 wRC+ 48 BABIP .261, 2.7% BB, 18.9%K, .092 ISO

[Doctor Wu]

17 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Jose Miranda's HBP in head was 07/28/2024.
https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/jose-miranda-hit-by-pitch-willi-castro-to-2nd

Before HBP, Miranda was .324/.367/.517 OPS .884 wRC+ 149 BABIP .349, 5.0% BB, 13.5%K, .193 ISO
After the HBP, Miranda was .211/.236/.303 OPS .539 wRC+ 48 BABIP .261, 2.7% BB, 18.9%K, .092 ISO

Whoa ... a stark difference indeed. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Best wishes to Jose Miranda. Reminds me a the old Jerry Reed song, "When you're hot, you're hot. When you're not, you're not".

[Sjoski]

This wasn’t a slump.  
It was a derailment.  
And it started with the HBP...every category—power, discipline, contact, all gone at once.  

SAD...he was having a breakout year and becoming the hitter the Twins always hoped he'd be.

Best of luck to José. 

[Doc Lenz]

I think they picked him up for his base running skills.

[Twodogs]

Rooker went to San Diego originally also?  Hope Miranda can bounce back for himself.

[AlLagoon]

Machado needed some competition?

 

I wish Miranda well. Liked him as a player, and as a cousin to Lin-Manuel.

[FilthyMogwai]

I have no doubt he'll break out now.

[jmlease1]

I hope a fresh start gets him back on track. He clearly needed a change of scenery and he wasn't going to get a MLB deal with anyone this season after his disastrous, horrific 2025.

He might never get back to being the kind of player he was becoming, which would be a shame. It was a bummer seeing everything good about his game evaporate and for him to struggle so mightily. There's little doubt in my mind that he was seriously impacted by the beaning, and instances like this are something that baseball (and the player's association in particular) will have to wrestle with with player safety in coming years. With pitchers throwing harder than ever, all it takes is one wayward throw for a player's career to be altered permanently or even ended, regardless of intent.

Good luck to Miranda.