SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Padres have signed right-handed pitcher Craig Stammen to a two-year contract, Executive Vice President & General Manager A.J. Preller announced today. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Padres designated infielder Jose Rondon for assignment.
Stammen went 2-3 with a 3.14 ERA (28 ER, 80.1 IP), 74 strikeouts and just 28 walks in a career-high 60 appearances for the Padres last season. He inherited a National League-high 55 runners and allowed just 14 of them to score (25.5%), including only two with the bases loaded (24 IR, 8.3%). The 33-year-old posted a 1.10 ERA (4 ER, 32.2 IP) in 31 games after the All-Star break, the lowest mark among all NL relievers (min. 30.0 IP).
In 289 career Major League appearances (38 starts), Stammen is 28-27 with a 3.80 ERA (241 ER, 571.0 IP), 444 strikeouts and 177 walks between the Washington Nationals (2009-15) and Padres (2017). Since 2011, he has posted a 2.88 ERA (108 ER, 337.1 IP) in 235 games, which ranks 16^th among all NL relievers over that period. The North Star, OH, native was originally selected by the Nationals in the 12^th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Dayton (OH).