Padres claim reliever Sean Poppen off waivers from Diamondbacks

The San Diego Padres have made a move. Sorry to disappoint you but it’s not signing Kodai Senga or Carlos Rodon. Sean Poppen has been claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Poppen, 28, had a 4.40 ERA in 2022 and it seems like he’d be a candidate to be one of the last pitchers to make the Opening Day roster. As you can see below, his numbers were much better against righties than lefties this past season so perhaps A.J. Preller made this move with the thought of Poppen filling Tim Hill’s role but from the right side.

This isn’t a move that will grab any headlines but we’ll see what Ruben Niebla can do with Poppen as we head into the 2023 season. The Padres now have 34 players on their 40-man roster a couple days before the 2022 Winter Meetings.