Former Padres Turn Foe: Catcher Signs With NL West Rival, Becoming a Key…

The Colorado Rockies have signed veteran catcher and former San Diego Padre Austin Nola to a minor league deal, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Nola, who will turn 35 later this month, received a non-roster invitation to the Rockies’ major league Spring Training camp as part of the agreement.

Nola’s signing brings his career full circle in a way, as the Rockies originally drafted him in the 48th round back in 2008 when he was still in high school. Instead, he chose to play college ball at Louisiana State.

Nola made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and initially looked like a rising star, but his production declined after being traded to the Padres in 2020. He was still a regular behind the plate for San Diego as recently as 2022, but a steep drop-off in 2023 led to the Padres non-tendering him just over a year ago.

Nola shared catching duties with several others in San Diego, even seeing postseason action in 2020 and 2022. Across his first 185 games with the Padres, he posted a 3.1 WAR.

However, 2023 was a rough year for him, as he hit just .146 with a .452 OPS and a -0.5 WAR before being optioned to Triple-A in July. After the season, the Padres chose to non-tender him instead of going through arbitration, making him a free agent.

After signing a split contract with the Kansas City Royals last winter, Nola never appeared in a major league game. He was briefly called up to Kansas City’s roster for a few days in June, but with Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin staying healthy, the Royals didn’t have much need for him.

Nola didn’t make a strong case for a spot, hitting just .174/.260/.298 in 191 plate appearances with Triple-A Omaha. The Royals outrighted him off the 40-man roster in September, and he became a free agent after the season.

When it comes to playing time in Colorado, though, there is a potential path.

In November, the Rockies brought back catcher Jacob Stallings on a one-year, $2 million deal with a mutual option for 2026. They also have top prospect Drew Romo — who made his MLB debut in 2024 — and 25-year-old Hunter Goodman in the mix.

Goodman has played more in right field than behind the plate and has posted a -1.4 WAR across 93 MLB appearances. As for Romo, he’s only appeared in 16 big league games and could easily start the 2025 season back at Triple-A.