SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego Padres declined the 2023 club option for Wil Myers, making the outfielder/first baseman a free agent.
The team’s decision to decline the $20 million option was first reported Monday morning by New York Post baseball columnist Jon Heyman.
Myers, 31, became a Padre before the 2015 season after the team acquired him in an offseason trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals.
After a 2016 season in which he was named to the National League All-Star team, Myers signed a six-year, $83 million contract extension -- which included the club option the team declined to pick up on Monday.
Earlier in the morning, outfielder Jurickson Profar and relief pitcher Robert Suarez, two vital contributors to the Padres’ successful 2022 season, both opted out of their contracts to go into free agency.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic, citing the MLB Players Association, reported Monday that Profar and Suarez both declined their player options for the 2023 season.
Profar and Suarez join Josh Bell, Mike Clevinger, Brandon Drury, Pierce Johnson, Sean Manaea, Wil Myers, and Craig Stammen as Padre players now on the open market.
Profar, 29, was the Padres’ leadoff hitter for most of the season after claiming the starting left field job in spring Training.
The veteran of nine MLB seasons hit .243, hit 15 home runs and drove in 58 runs. He was also among the MLB leaders in outfield assists.
The 31-year-old Suarez joined the Padres after several years in Japan as a closer. He ended his rookie year as one of the Padres’ high-leverage relief pitchers, typically serving as a setup man for closer Josh Hader.
