Mariners lose remarkably speedy depth piece to Padres after free agency choice

When the Seattle Mariners acquired righty Yosver Zulueta from the Cincinnati Reds, it started a sequence of events which ultimately ended Samad Taylor's tenure with the organization. It didn't take him long to find a new home in San Diego with the Padres.

Taylor was designated for assignment on Jan. 15 to make room for Zulueta on the Mariners' 40-man roster, subsequently cleared waivers on Jan. 23 and then elected for free agency. Now, as per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, he has signed a minor league deal with the Padres which includes a big league invite to spring training in Peoria.

Given that Peoria Sports Complex is home to both the Mariners and Padres, it has the potential to make for some wonderfully awkward moments whenever Taylor bumps into anyone from the front office of his now former team. At the same time however, it really doesn't seem as if the M's will miss him too much in 2026.

Samad Taylor still looking for a long-term home

The reality is that Taylor is now with his fifth organization since being selected by the former Cleveland Indians in the 10th round of the 2016 draft. He also spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, before being traded to the M's at the start of 2024.

This constant changing of teams alludes to the 27-year-old still struggling to find his place, with him so far being limited to 38 combined Major League games with the Royals and Mariners. In Seattle specifically he only played seven times in 2024-25, in the process producing just a .231 batting average and .462 OPS.

To be clear, this is not to imply Taylor doesn't have some intriguing assets, highlighted by his blazing speed, which saw him steal 94 combined bases during his two seasons in Triple-A Tacoma. This speed translates to his ability to play defense, with the added bonus that he has seen time at shortstop, second bases, third base and the two corner outfield positions.

Arguably the biggest uncertainty surrounding the Corona, California native is if he can make full use of his bat speed and power. Yes he did take some significant strides in 2025 with a .296 batting average and .839 OPS in 137 games for the Rainiers, but aside from still needing to be more consistent, there is the question of if this can translate to the Major League level.

Harsh or not, Taylor was out of minor league options in Seattle and it was evident the Mariners no longer considered him among their more important needs, especially after shoring up their depth during the offseason. In addition, more so than in 2025, he would have been competing for Major League at-bats with some of the organization's top prospects.

In any event, we're sure the majority of Mariners fans will wish Taylor the best of luck as he now looks to fulfil his potential and make San Diego home for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he can find some motivation during spring training, courtesy of regularly seeing his old teammates around the facilities at Peoria Sports Complex.