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The Padres have agreed to a minor-league contract with first baseman James Loney, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Exact terms of the deal are unknown, though Loney will earn $8 million from the Rays this season.
Loney was cut at the end of spring training by Tampa Bay, with the team deciding to keep Logan Morrison and Steve Pearce on the roster. Loney will provide a left-handed hitting complement to Wil Myers in San Diego, giving the Padres more flexibility to play Myers in the outfield, possibly in place of veterans Melvin Upton Jr. and Matt Kemp.
Loney, 31, hit .280/.322/.357 with four homers for the Rays last season, and could prove to be a great, low-cost addition for a Padres team that has failed to score in its first three games while mustering only 11 hits. He is a San Diego resident who has ties to the Southern California area after spending almost seven seasons with the Dodgers from 2006 to 2012.
In 10 major-league seasons with the Dodgers (2006-12), Red Sox (2012) and Rays (2013-15), Loney is a lifetime .285/.338/.411 hitter with 99 home runs and 635 RBI in 1,343 career games.