PEORIA, Ariz. — The Padres have signed third baseman and former top prospect Mike Olt to a minor league contract. The deal does not include an invitation to major league spring training.
Olt, 27, was released by the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and quickly scooped up by a Padres organization lacking third-base depth. General Manager A.J. Preller has history with Olt; in 2010, a Rangers front office that included Preller drafted Olt 49th overall out of the University of Connecticut.
A considerable amount of right-handed power has not been enough to make Olt a reliable major leaguer, however.