San Diego Padres sign former A’s outfielder to minor-league deal
The San Diego Padres have signed Trenton Brooks to a minor-league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Brooks made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, getting into 12 games, primarily as the team’s first baseman when LaMonte Wade Jr. was on the IL.
Brooks, 29, is a lefty bat and has had success in the minor leagues in recent seasons. In 2024 with the Sacramento River Cats he batted .302 with a .410 OBP and 10 homers while balancing a 15.5% walk rate and a 15% strikeout rate.
Those stats didn’t quite translate in his brief stint with the Giants with Brooks hitting just .120 with a .241 OBP across 29 plate appearances. Still, he represents a nice depth option that could have some success with a little longer stint in the majors.
Before he landed with the Giants, Brooks had signed with the A’s in November of 2022. He put up a solid year for the A’s in Triple-A, batting .299 with a .405 on-base and 16 homers in 94 games before being traded to San Francisco in exchange for veteran left-hander Sean Newcomb in a rare post-deadline trade since both players were in the minor leagues.
There is a chance that Brooks could be in the mix for a bench spot with San Diego when Spring Training begins in 2025. Roster Resource currently has left-hander Tyler Wade as one of the team’s bench bats, though his main tool is his speed, while Brooks can provide a little bit of pop as well. Not for nothing, but Brooks swiped ten bags in the minors last season, though his sprint speed ranked in the fifth percentile in his small sample, while Wade’s was in the 85th.