Diamondbacks sign Wily Mo Pena

[Diamondback Jay]

The Diamondbacks have signed Wily Mo Pena to a minor league deal with an invite to camp, paying him $675,000.

Pena's numbers last season in AAA were fairly respectable — .324/.390/.556 — he’s definitely worth a shot. Worst case scenario, he's a dirt cheap, bat off the bench. He does have legit home run power, although he falls in to the "all or nothing" mentality behind the plate, and really doesn't quite fit the "cut down the strikeouts" mold Arizona seemed to approach the offseason with.

Either way, he's a minimal investment who could turn out to be better than his value.

 

[Cardinal Bob]

You could pay him $6.75 and it would STILL be waste of money.

If the DBacks give this guy 500 at bats, he just might strike out 300 times. When he hits it, the ball tends to go a long way. The problem is he can't hit it very well.

 

[JS22]

I know Towers wants to cut back (understatement) on strike outs, so signing Pena seems counter-intuitive. But coming off the bench it shouldn't be as much of an issue. It's always nice to have power guys on the bench.

 

[azsportsfan01]

I like the deal. It is exactly the type of deal we need to be looking for. There really is no risk here. It is for little money (by baseball standards) does not include a spot on the major league roster. It he can catch lightning in a bottle then we are set out in left field, if he can't them we just keep him in the minors.

 

[TJ]

I like the deal. It is exactly the type of deal we need to be looking for. There really is no risk here. It is for little money (by baseball standards) does not include a spot on the major league roster. It he can catch lightning in a bottle then we are set out in left field, if he can't them we just keep him in the minors.

+1

 

[Diamondback Jay]

Exactly Al. Low risk, high reward potential.